Recruitment
by Brainlock
Summary: Following the events of Duality, and in the wake of Visiting Ours ch.6, The Heroes begin the next phase of their mission: locating and helping Specials like themselves. But they are not the only ones looking for new blood.... XOs OCs galore! Please R R!
1. Prologue RE:Birth

HEROES - Recruitment : Prologue

Characters: Matt P, Mohinder, Janice, Daphne, and Molly W.

Disclaimer: I own NUTTINK!

A/N: basically a repost of "Visiting Ours" ch6, with a few edits. This new prologue probably takes place immediately before "Duality" ch5-7, with following chapters shortly afterward. As this was written well before v4 and the revelation of Matthew being born some time before v3's "The Eclipse", it obviously doesn't jibe with anything since, esp as I decided "Duality" is my v4 (post 3.13 anyway) and "Recruitment" will be my v5 instead of "Redemption." Subsequent chapters will feature numerous XOs and OCs. I'll try to credit the XOs as I go along. (and yes, you can add "Heroes:WHO" somewhere into this mix, as it does also lead into a"Company Matters" chapter!)

Chapter : RE:birth

* * *

Molly and Mohinder never mentioned it to him, but they could see it happen. Matt had been regaining all the weight he had lost the last few months with a vengeance. Molly had even taken to swiping snacks away from him as they watched television. Mohinder had tried the lowest calorie recipes he could, but Matt would always eat more. He shuddered to think what Matt consumed while at work all day.

It wasn't just the weight, his mood swings had become almost intolerable, too. Finally, Mohinder had had enough. Something had to be done. He and Molly were discussing it again as Mohinder prepared dinner before Matt arrived home one Friday evening.

"If there were only some way we could _hypnotize_ him into eating healthier," Molly noted, throwing her arms out, zombie-like.

"Well, unless you suddenly develop the power to push...people." He stopped, realizing what part of the problem may be.

"How can we do that, when he's already developed that power, Mohinder?" she asked. "Mohinder? Hello?" she waved her hand in front of his face.

"I'm sorry, Molly, I just had a realization. What if it's a space issue?" he asked.

She laughed. "You mean, he's taking up too much of it? I'll agree with that!"

"Not just that, but you know how cramped it is with the three of us in this apartment? Five of us, really, with my lizard and now Matthew's tortoise?" She nodded. "Next door is a perfectly good empty apartment that the company rented out for Eden to spy on my father and I bet that no one is living there!"

"You're going to kick Matt out?"

"Well, yes and no, Molly. Like I said, this apartment is too cramped for us, and with Matthew dating Daphne, it is certainly more cramped when she is over. If he were to move next door, he would still be close for you, while maintaining the privacy a person requires when, um, dating, you know, when it comes to that," he tried to explain, suddenly embarrassed.

"So, we're not really kicking him out, just expanding our living area?"

"Precisely! I'm sure he would have no problem giving you a key to the apartment, just in case, but he and Daphne (and Elvis? Yes, and Elvis.) would have their own privacy without having to worry about disturbing us or us them!"

"Sounds like a plan to me!" she agreed, and stuck out her hand to shake on it.

"Of course, we just have to get Matthew to agree to it!" He pondered it a minute more. "Maybe we can talk the Company into footing the rent, while we're at it?"

Mohinder called his landlord to confirm that, yes, the neighboring apartment was still available, and he would consider it a done deal if Mohinder had a possible new tenant.

When Matt finally arrived home (late again) that night, Mohinder quickly ushered him to the kitchen table and a plate full of reheated food.

"So, how was your day, Matthew?" he inquired, leaning forward over clasped hands. Molly came out of her room and hugged him hello.

"Hi, sweetie! Same old, same old, Mohinder, why do you ask?" he said as he devoured another mouthful of the other man's cooking, whatever it was.

A shared glance between the conspirators before he answered. Matt raised an eyebrow.

"We want you out of here, Matthew."

Matt found himself choking and sputtering on his food. Molly patted his back as he caught his breath. "OUT? What did I do? You're the one who let a chick who cries death in here and--"

Mohinder held up his hand. "Matthew, it's not what you think. It's for your own good. You can still come over any time you want but this apartment is too small for three people, an occasional fourth, and two reptiles."

"Well, where do you suggest I go?" Matt retorted.

Mohinder smiled. Matt frowned at his thought.

"It's all been arranged, Matthew--"

"You're kicking me out on my ass with barely a goodbye, and say 'it's all been arranged, Matthew'?!" he mocked.

Mohinder sighed. "Yes, Matthew, we're kicking you so far away, that you won't even get to see Molly off to school in the morning, or come home at night to tuck her in, much less miss another meal with us."

"Waaaait a minnit, here, you're pulling my leg, aren't you?"

"Nope!" Molly chirped. Matt gave her his best 'evil eye'. "You're taking up too much room, Matt, it's time you got your own place!"

"And you're staying here with Mohinder? Is that it?"

"Yup!"

Matt pushed his plate away. "Fine, I can see where I'm not wanted. First Janice, now you two. At least I still have Daphne!"

"She already helped us move your stuff out this afternoon, Matt."

Matt looked between the two of them. Molly's chin trembled from trying to hold in her laughter. Mohinder sat back in his chair, one hand over his mouth.

Matt decided he had had enough and went to his room, only to find it bare. Not even Elvis had been left behind. "What the hell?" he shouted. "You guys are really serious?"

"Matthew, please sit down and we'll talk."

"Talk? _TALK_?? You're kicking me out after all this time because why? I'm late to dinner? I almost got shot again with Nathan down in Texas? Peter sent me away to Africa of all places?? My father was in league with Arthur Petrelli?"

"Because we all need our space, and we all agree, Daphne included, that you need some room to yourself, away from us."

"So it's a conspiracy, is it? You talked her into leaving me, too?"

"Exactly!"

"Molly!" Mohinder chided her as Matt did a double take. "Matthew, if you calm down, would you like to see your new place?"

Matt crossed his arms. "Not really, I like it here!"

"Well, that's too bad, as _my_ father is the one who originally rented this apartment, and _my_ name is on the lease, not yours. I've been a gracious host, but enough is enough, Matthew, it's time you had your own place!"

Molly grabbed Matt's arm, tugging him toward the door. "Time to leave the nest, Matt, you can't stay here forever!"

Matt was fuming. "Fine, I'll be on my way, then. If you need me, I'll either be crashing down at the office or over at Nathan's!" he bellowed as he turned and stormed out the door, nearly knocking Molly down.

The pair followed him out into the hall.

"Where are you going, Matthew?" Mohinder called after him.

"I just told you--"

"Your new apartment is this way," he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder.

"What?"

"I told you, we already made new arrangements for you."

Molly ran down to the next door and opened it up, "C'mon Matt, don't you want to see your new home?"

Matt was dumbfounded as Mohinder grabbed his arm, leading him back down the hall. Molly ran back and grabbed his free hand, pulling him into the neighboring apartment.

He entered and looked around. Outside of the silver banner taped across the wall, declaring "WELCOME HOME!!" in various colors, the room was pretty spartan. "What the--?"

Daphne came out of the bedroom. "Sorry, we're still getting things arranged, but we could still hear you 'discussing' things next door."

"We?" Matt asked, still dumbfounded.

A sweaty Nathan Petrelli stepped out from the bedroom as well. Matt's fists clenched. "Man, is your new girlfriend bossy, Parkman! First she wants it over here, then over there, then back over there! Bad enough when your dating a normal girl, but when she thinks as fast as she moves? I almost don't envy you, Matt."

"What? What's going on, here?"

"We're moving you in, silly!" Molly declared.

Daphne came up to him, threw her arms around his neck and gave him a big kiss. "Welcome home, Matt!"

"So...this is it?"

Mohinder and Nathan sighed. "Of course not, this is just your stuff from next door," Mohinder explained.

"Relax, Parkman, my housewarming gift to you is some new furniture. Daphne helped pick some out, already." He clapped Matt on the back, before leaning in conspiratorially. "You know us bullet-catchers gotta watch out for each other, right?" he winked.

Matt laughed at this, finally relaxing as Molly drug him around the place at a speed which Daphne would have been hard-pressed to keep up with.

"It's amazing how 'useful' Daphne found me when trying to hang the new curtains," Nathan quipped along the way.

After they had finally gotten Molly calmed down and off to bed next door, Matt pulled Nathan aside. "You know, Mohinder told me Eden had been spying on him from this apartment, before?"

"Relax, Matt, we already swept through the place, so unless you want to get your jollies spying on Mohinder--?" Nathan raised a mock eyebrow at the thought.

"_Dude!_ I told you, we're not like that! Why does everybody keep saying that!?" Matt yelled.

"Because we like teasing you about it?" Nathan said, clapping Matt on the back, again. "You and Daphne can go over the place again if you want, but we're pretty sure it's clean." He looked around, grimaced. "Relatively speaking, of course."

"We can't all live in expensive, immaculate mansions, Petrelli," Matt chided him.

"No, you just wanted to crash at mine, didn't you?"

"Well, you've got the room, why not?"

"I'm not a hotel, Parkman."

"A-HEM!" Daphne said from the bedroom door. "I'm sure we've all had a long day, why don't you get home to Hotel Petrelli, Fly-boy, and let me take care of things here?"

Nathan and Matt looked at each other. They both had been married long enough to know when not to argue with the lady of the house.

"At least Hiro calls me 'Flying MAN.' I'll see you later, Parkman."

"Whoosh! Good night Nathan, and thanks!" he chuckled.

Matt closed the door and locked it behind his friend. "Now, you were saying?" he asked her as she slowly strolled to him, took his hand and led him to the bathroom.

"First a hot shower, to warm up those muscles," she teased as she began removing his clothes.

"And then?" Matt asked, all smiles.

"I'll put them to some good use!" she smiled back.

--

"Did I miss anything, yet?"

"No, the show's just starting."

"You know he might be able to 'hear' us, right?"

"Oh please, Nathan. We're the last thing Matthew wants to think about."

"No shit, check out those tits and that ass! And Daphne's not too bad, herself!"

"Shh! You'll wake Molly!"

--

Matt woke the next morning very tired but very happy. He looked over at Daphne and smiled.

_**BANG! BANG! BANG!**_ "Matt, get up! You're going to miss breakfast!"

"_Give it a rest, Molly, you'll wake the whole building!_" he thought at her as he reached for his underwear, and came up with Daphne's lace bra. He smiled. "_Aren't there any cartoons you should be watching?_"

"Molly! Don't bang on the wall!" Mohinder chided her.

_Sorry about that Matthew!_ He thought toward his new neighbor.

Matt grumbled and fished for his own underwear. His stomach grumbled even more. Ugh, what did Mohinder feed him before kicking him out?

While Matt was happy to have his own place again (okay, the fact that he had another adult who gave him _sex!_ was a definite bonus!), his stomach rumbled all day. He directed Nathan's deliveries as Daphne saw fit. He didn't agree with her choice of locations for everything, but hey, she was giving him _sex! Yay, sex!_

He also couldn't shake the feeling that he was forgetting something, today. Okay, it was Shabbas and he didn't go to Temple, but still, he knew he was forgetting something he couldn't put his finger on. His upset stomach wasn't helping matters, either.

When he had finally accepted the last furniture delivery and Mohinder had helped him move everything exactly where Daphne and Molly decided it should go for what seemed the tenth time, everybody called it a night and Daphne rushed him into the shower again.

He didn't mind showering before sex, but was this going to be her habit? He shrugged it off as something she had gotten used to doing as a speedster, working up a sweat with her power. Still, his stomach cramped again.

It almost put him off for the night, but he was a trooper and tried not to let her down. He suddenly felt an old, but familiar tickle in the back of his mind. What the hell? Whatever (or whoever?) it was, he tried to push it away again, and fought it off while trying to please Daphne.

No sooner had he finished than the tickle became grating, he clutched his head as his gut cramped again.

"Matt, if you're not feeling well, we can stop for the night?" Daphne asked him.

"Unh, I'll be fine in a moment," he lied. His gut cramped again.

She became concerned, now. "Do you need to go to the hospital or something?"

"No, I'll be fine," he lied again. Something was going on, but what? His head was splitting.

_Matt?_

"I'll be fine," he said again, dozing off.

_Matt, where are you?_

"Jan?"

_Matt, the baby's coming, where are you?_

Matt sat up. "Janice?" He looked around. What the hell? He was in a hospital, wearing scrubs.

_MATT!_

"Janice? Where are you?" He looked around, saw a doctor and several nurses run into a room. He followed.

Janice was in there, her feet up in stirrups. What the hell?

Matt went to her, grabbed her hand. "I'm here, Jan, I'm right here!"

_AHHHHHHHGGGKKKK! It hurts! Matt, where are you?_

"I'm right here, Janice! I'm here for you!"

"Where's your husband, Mrs. Parkman?" the doctor asked.

"Uhn, New York! uhn, _MATT!_"

"Janice, I'm right here, I'm with you! Right here!"

"Where? Matt, I can hear you, where are you?"

"Ma'am? Who are you talking to?" one of the nurses asked.

"My husband! He's here, let's go! Uhn!"

The nurses exchanged glances with the doctor. "What is she on? Is she having problems with the medication?"

"NO! I'M! NOT!" she panted. "Let's do this! Matt, stay with me, or so help _MEEEEEE--!!_"

"It doesn't matter, the head's crowning! Here we go, ladies!"

Matt hugged his ex-wife as tight as he could in his dream. He had the feeling someone else was there, as well, but he didn't care, right now, Janice was having her baby!

"One final push!"

"_MMMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT!!!_"

"I'm here, Jan! I'm right here!"

"It's a boy!"

"It's a boy! You hear that, Jan, it's a boy!"

_Mazel Tov, Matty!_

Janice gasped in exhaustion. "Where? Can I see him?"

"Just a minute, ma'am, they're cleaning him up for you."

"Congratulations, Jan, I'm so proud of you!" Matt told her. "You did it! It's a boy!"

"I know! We did it, Matt, we made a baby!"

"Ma'am, are you okay?" the nurse asked again. "Who are you talking to?"

"No, I just had a baby, of course I'm not okay!" she snarled back. "I'm talking to my husband!"

"The one in New York?" she asked.

"Trust me, you wouldn't understand, but I'm glad he made it!" She reached up as if she could feel Matt hovering by her shoulder, and tried to put her arm around his neck.

The nurse was hesitant, "o-kay, if you say so, ma'am."

The other nurse came up to her. "Are you ready, mom?"

"More than ready," she answered holding out her arms. "Ohh, look at him! Hello, my little man! Can you see him, Matt? Isn't he gorgeous?"

"Yes, he's just adorable, Jan! I can't believe it, we made a baby! We made a baby!" he shouted ecstatically.

She looked down at her new life. "We did, didn't we? I love you, Matt. I'm sorry about--"

"No. Remember, don't be sorry. What happened, happened. I love you, Jan. I'll love you forever for this." He hugged her again, wanting so much to be there for here, to kiss her and comfort her this night of all nights.

_Congratulations, Matty, you're a father! I love you, boy._

"What?"

"Matt? What's wrong, is something happening to you back there?"

"Jan, did you hear that? It sounded like, no, it can't be, he's dead."

"Matt? Who's dead? Who are you talking to?"

That wasn't Janice. That was...Mohinder? _NO!_ "Jan! Jan, I'm here for you, just keep thinking about me, and we'll stay together!"

"Who's he talking to Mohinder?" Daphne asked. "What's going on?"

"I don't know, dreaming something about his ex-wife, I would guess?"

"_WIFE?!?_ He's married?!?" she stormed out, angry.

"_EX_-wife, Daphne, ex-wife!" Mohinder corrected, calling after her.

"Jan? Jan, don't let go! Jan, I want to see him again! Jan? Janice!?"

"Matthew, wake up, you're dreaming! Matthew!" Mohinder hesitated, then slapped his friend, lightly.

"Mohinder?" Matt asked groggily. "What? Where? Where's Janice? Where's the baby? Where's the baby??"

"There's no baby, Matthew. At least, not here, there isn't," he informed his still naked friend.

"But--but, the baby?!" Matt insisted.

"Matthew, are you saying Janice had the baby? Is that what you dreamed?"

"No, it wasn't a dream, I was there, I saw her give birth! I saw _him!_"

Mohinder leaned back. "Are you serious? Matthew, you have a new girlfriend crying in the other room, do you seriously think she wants to hear you dreamed of your ex-wife giving birth moments after you had sex with your girlfriend?"

"What? What time is it?"

Mohinder hesitated, but checked his watch. "Just after nine, almost quarter after, why?"

"So I can call her and confirm what I saw, That's why!" Matt shouted, grabbing the covers and trying to get up before he realized he was still naked. He waved Mohinder out towards the door.

Mohinder quickly got up and left the room, giving Matt a moment of privacy to get dressed.

"Where's my phone?" he called out as he left the bedroom. "Mohinder? Daphne? Where's my damn phone?!"

He entered the kitchen to find Mohinder sitting alone.

"Where's my phone, Mohinder?" he asked, still pulling his t-shirt down.

"If I were you, I'd be more concerned about where my girlfriend is, Matthew."

"After I call Janice, I promise," he said, fumbling through his coat jacket and pulling out the cell.

Suresh grabbed the phone hand. "Matthew, please. Daphne was very upset when she came to get me, and you've made her more upset by dream-ranting about your ex-wife having a baby. Stop and think for a moment, man."

"I just need to call and see if that was a dream or real, Mohinder," Matt argued. "You don't understand, this is the first time she was able to carry full--"

"_NO_, Matthew," Mohinder interrupted. "You have a sobbing girlfriend in my apartment, right now. One who is very upset with you. Right Now. Go to HER and talk to HER. RIGHT NOW."

Matt didn't move. "Mohinder, have you ever been married?"

"No, but I don't see--"

"Have you ever gotten a girl pregnant?"

He blushed. "No, but--"

"No buts, this is the first time Janice was able to carry a baby full term," Matt informed him. "I should have been there, regardless if it was mine or not. Can you understand that?"

Mohinder hung his head. "I'm sorry, Matthew, I didn't know."

"This was the third time since we were married, Mohinder. The first time, I proposed. We had given up trying after almost fifteen years, but neither one of us wanted to take the chance of-of _stopping trying_, of getting snipped. Can you understand that?"

Mohinder chewed his thumbnail. "No, Matthew, I guess not. I'm sorry, my friend."

"No, don't be sorry, what happened, happened, that's what we said, each time. Don't be sorry." Matt felt his eyes water. "I couldn't be there in person tonight, but luckily, heh, luckily for my powers, I could still be with her when she finally had the baby she's wanted all these years." He was beamng again, the brief glimpse of the newborn in his mind's eye.

He turned to his friend once more. "Mohinder, I hope you can experience that joy someday, but until then, don't tell me I can't even call her to share."

"A bit of advice, Matthew?" Matt glared at him. "Tell Daphne it was a dream, at least for now. She's very upset."

"Fine, whatever," Matt said as he scrolled through his phone list. "Come on, Molly, what did you file her under?" he grumbled. 'wkd stp-m' Wicked step-mother? Sigh. He would have a conversation with Molly about this, later. He hit the dial button.

He half-expected the voice on the other end. "Hello, who is this?"

"Karen, it's Matt. Is Janice okay?"

"She's fine without you, Matt. Not that you care," she replied.

_Don't fight, not tonight, Matt_. "Karen, may I please talk to her for a minute?"

"She's turned in for the night, Matt, she'll have to call you back."

"Karen, please, may I speak with her? Two seconds?"

"Who's that on the phone, mom?" he heard in the background.

_It's me, Jan! I'm on the phone!_ he projected, fingers crossed that she would still hear him. "Karen, please! I'm begging you! two seconds!"

"Mom! Give me my phone! Matt?! Ma--" _Matt I'm fine! We did it! He's beautiful!_

Matt was sure this last bit he hadn't heard through the phone. "Jan? Janice!?"

Matt held the phone away from him, staring at it as if it were some hideous growth that had just appeared on his hand.

"Dammit, Karen! Two seconds was all I asked for."

"I'm sorry, Matthew." Mohinder put a hand out on the table.

"Mothers-in-law." Matt grumbled. Hanging his head in his free hand. He fought the urge to throw the phone. Again.

"So what are you going to do, now?"

"Keep trying to call, send her flowers. Karen can't stop those, can she?"

"Aren't there stalking laws in California? Especially Los Angeles, Matthew?"

"You're right, I need an assumed name, one which she'll know is from me. Anything else, I'll ask Tom to deliver them. He owes me that much, at least."

"Tom?"

"Guy I used to work with on the Force, out there," Matt grumbled. "Too bad my cousin Seth can't fly me out for a couple days, he still owes me a trip. Not really looking forward to a full cross-country on Nathan's back. Here to West Texas was bad enough."

"What about Peter or Hiro?"

"That reminds me, I owe Peter a new pair of shoes," he mumbled.

"Can't you contact him? Is he on an international route?"

"Who, Seth? He was in an ocean crash a few years back, never recovered the plane, much less any bodies."

"Oh. I'm sorry, Matthew, I didn't know."

Matt waved his hand, "Don't be, it happened before any of this-this craziness started, back when everything was normal, or at least, normal for LA."

"Ah. In the meantime, then, I suggest you go next door and talk to your young lady friend, Matthew."

"Are you speaking as my doctor or as my friend, Professor?"

Mohinder smiled. "Both, Matthew."

Matt sighed. "Even the President has to follow doctor's orders, right?"

"Yes, I believe so."

Matt smiled. "You hear that, Nathan? Just follow the good doctor's orders, right?"

"W-what are you t-talking ab-about, M-Matthew?"

"Please, I know when I'm being eavesdropped on, Prof."

Matt wasn't entirely sure Mohinder could blush before, but he was sure his friend was red, now.

Matt stood up and stared at his phone. He turned the ringer off and tucked it back in his jacket pocket. "Yep, time to go kiss some ass, so I can get another shot at it, if I'm very, _very_ lucky."

--

"Have you decided on a name, Mrs. Parkman?" the nurse asked.

Karen leaned forward, ready to argue her daughter's choice.

"It's Ms. Parkman. I'm divorced."

"But I thought you said in delivery, your husband--?"

With a side glance to her mother, Janice cut her off. "--is not the father. Sorry."

"So what name are you going with, Janice?" Karen asked.

Janice huffed and glared at her mother. "Albrecht, okay? Is that fine with you?"

Karen beamed. "Of course, dear, whatever you want, it's your baby, after all."

Janice glared at her mother as she wrote the name down on the nurse's clipboard and handed it back to her.

The nurse looked down to see what she wrote. "Oh, 'Hiram', that's a name we don't see to often, even for a middle name. Where did you get that from?"

"From his father."

"But you marked 'unknown', here?"

"Trust me, we agreed upon it, earlier."

The nurse hesitated, ready to argue the point.

"So you named him, Matthew, Junior?"

"No. I told you, Matt's not the father, mom. Drop it."

"Then who is, Janice? It hasn't been nine months since you kicked his sorry ass to the curb, if he's not the father--"

"Mom, just shut up. We--I know what I'm doing."

"But isn't Matt's middle name, Hiram? I seem to recall that's what he said at the wedding?"

"Guilty conscience, okay, mom? Happy now?"

"Then why name the baby after someone who's not the father?"

"_BECAUSE_, MOM!"

The nurse quietly excused herself to let the two women argue. She knew the name battle had been won by the right person, and didn't care to witness another mother-daughter fight today. God bless the Maternity Ward Nurse, they always said at the nurse's station.

Meanwhile the argument continued.

"Do you know how many times you were almost a grandmother before this? Do you know how many times Matt held me as I cried over losing another child? _DO YOU?"_

"I named my son after the man who was there for me every time I lost a child, and I'll be damned if I let you sully him to this child. If you don't like that, there's the door!" Janice fumed at her mother as she pointed the way out.

Karen was shocked to learn this. She knew about the 'college incident', as she referred to it, but never that it had happened again and again over the years. She had long ago blamed Matt for causing her daughter grief and trapping her in a loveless marriage. She couldn't have been more wrong.

--

The next day, a bouquet of roses arrived, signed "All My Love, E. Clapton." The nurses joked that Janice had Eric Clapton's love child. Janice only smiled and hugged her nursing son tight.

He really did care.

She hoped their plan would work, for their son's sake. Only time would tell.

**--**

**To be continued...**


	2. Chapter 1: Return to LA

Road Trip!

Assignment: Los Angeles

Disclaimer: I own nothing. HEROES characters intellectual property of Tim Kring; Angel characters intellectual property of Joss Whedon

-

"Look, we'll go in, have a few laughs and drinks and check the place out," Matt assured Mohinder. "I used to come here on occasion with the guys after work. Trust Me," he smiled.

"That's what I'm afraid of, Matthew," Mohinder groaned. Molly laughed and pulled her foster father along down into the dark stairwell. "This won't end well."

Mat turned at the door, gave his roommate an evil grin and opened the door. "Walk this way," he said in a mock ghoulish tone.

"Incorrigible," Mohinder sighed. "Simply incorrigible."

He looked around the darkened room, not seeing much to impress him. It looked like your typical bar, nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, it seemed too ordinary, the only thing that stood out was the stage, which Mohinder automatically assumed was part of the charm of the place, with karaoke and local musicians trying to find their big break.

Then he saw a man in a garishly colored suit at the same time the other man noticed their little troupe. Mohinder's jaw dropped.

"Matthew!" the green skinned man exclaimed. "Where have you been keeping yourself, bubelah?"

"Long time, no see, Lorne," Matt said as he greeted the man in a friendly embrace.

Mohinder noticed the man also had two small, red horns at his hairline. _Was this a demon or a Special? _he wondered. _Are demons really real, or has Matt known about this Special all along?_

"Come in! Sit, sit! Welcome to Caritas," he greeted the two newcomers as he motioned them to a table and snapped his fingers to the bartender, who nodded. He leaned in, speaking low, "Now, I saw on the news that you've been keeping yourself busy, what with that awful incident in Texas and now your grand plan to help others?"

Matt blushed. "Uh, yeah, just trying to do my part, y'know? If you would spread the word among the locals, we would appreciate it."

"Of course I will, Matt! Just a matter of letting them know they'll be in good hands this time," he confided.

"Wait, you knew about the Company before?" Matt asked.

"Well, yeah, but since I thought you were pretty normal, I knew to keep quiet about it," he explained. "Just like people keep quiet about the demon population mixing in among you mere mortals. Think of it like coming out, not everybody needs to know, you know?" he winked.

Matt shared a grimace with Mohinder.

"And who's this little cutie pie?" Lorne asked, changing the subject by taking note of Molly. "Don't tell me, she's your little sister?" he teased, pinching her cheek.

Molly laughed. "No! Matt's my new daddy!" she said, leaning into the burly man.

"Yeah, we found her under a rock," he teased, ruffling her hair. "No, long story. I'll fill you in some other time," he said as he shared a sad smile with her. He turned back to Lorne. "While we were real busy setting up an office out here, I'd thought I'd show Molly and Mohinder some of the local sights before we officially got down to business."

Lorne finally turned to Mohinder. "And who is this fine looking young gentleman? Dr. Suresh, I presume?"

Mohinder was taken aback for a moment. "er, Yes, how did you know?"

Lorne waved it off. "Oh please, like I was saying, the whole lot of you have been quite the gossip the last few weeks since your announcement. The whole country's buzzing about it. I do hope the stalkerazzi aren't bothering you too much?"

"No," Matt confided. "And if it does look like it, I'll suggest to them we aren't who they think we are," he said with a wink.

"That's not very nice," Lorne mock protested, wagging a green finger. "I would expect better from you, Officer Parkman."

"A small suggestion to keep our privacy?" Matt countered. "Maybe, but I don't want Molly growing up in the public eye like some celebrity kid, who's only famous because of her parents."

Molly and Lorne both "aww"ed and she hugged his thick arm.

"Wait, you're both her fathers?" Lorne asked, catching Matt's phrasing. "Matt, I never suspected _you_, of all people, would play both sides," he teased. Molly giggled.

"Why does everybody keep assuming that?" Matt said in frustration.

"Don't look at me," Mohinder protested, stifling a chuckle.

"It's hard not to, you gorgeous hunk of man," Lorne teased with a wink.

Mohinder blushed. "This rumor only started because I let Matt finish recuperating from being shot at my apartment, _and_ because Molly was already attached to him," he explained, throwing a wink at their foster daughter.

"Well, that was lovely of you," Lorne said, clapping his hand over Mohinder's for a second. Mohinder tried not to flinch, but couldn't exactly explain why.

"I blame Nathan, personally," Matt added, laughing. "No, Janice and I finally called it quits a while back," he admitted. "I'm seeing someone else, now. Her name's Daphne."

"She can run really fast, like the Flash!" Molly exclaimed.

"Really, she can?" Lorne asked her, before turning back to Matt. "I hope she's not fast with _everything_," he teased, winking at Matt, who laughed.

"I, uh, I'm teaching her to slow down," was all he would say, tossing a dirty look at Lorne, while Molly gave them a confused look.

"Well, if you want to, you all can have a sing after the boys do their number," Lorne advised them. "I can give what for after I'm done with them."

"I'm sorry?" Mohinder asked.

Lorne and Matt shared a smug look. "You'll see," Matt replied with a sly grin as he noticed a piano being pushed out on stage and two men stood nearby.

"I do hope he behaves himself, tonight," Lorne worried. "He gets his brother all worked up over the tiniest things. If you'll excuse me, I have Host duties to attend to. Gentlemen, young lady," he nodded as he left them.

"So this isn't like regular karaoke?" Mohinder asked.

Matt smiled. "You'll see."

The two men looked alike, but couldn't be more different. One was unkempt with a thick tangle of hair and thicker beard, and Matt couldn't help but think he wouldn't look out of place in an alley...or a college campus. He wore a wrinkled polo shirt under a tweed jacket with equally wrinkled khakis. From the way he held himself, Matt wondered if he was drunk and/or stoned, but his eyes betrayed a clarity that defied his appearance. This look was intentional so he would be underestimated even as he sat down at the piano and rang his fingers along the keys, sounding it out.

The other was nattily dressed, hair slicked back, clean shaven except for a thick mustache, and moved in a very prim and proper way. He wore a sweater over a collared shirt, and neatly pressed dress pants. Definitely not a local, Matt surmised, as he noticed the man give his friend a nervous look, to which he received a menacing glare from the man at the piano before a head jerk urged him to take the microphone.

Matt tossed a glance over to Lorne who gave the pair on stage a worried look. He turned to Mohinder and whispered, "This should be good...and awful." Mohinder suppressed another chuckle as the nervous man stepped to the mic.

"Hi, um, Hi," he stammered as feedback made him step back. Piano Man shot him another dirty look. "Sorry," he muttered in a faint lisp before continuing. "My, um, brother and I, um, would like to do a song, um, we both like for you, um, if that's ok?"

Matt rolled his eyes and wondered if this was all an act as he noticed Lorne give the man a big thumbs up and smile.

The man at the piano began a jazzy riff which Matt soon recognized as the Fugees' "Killing Me Softly", which had been a particular favorite of Janice's. The man at the mic gave a very halting, very nervous rendition of the song, which some others laughed at, causing him no end of discomfort, but Lorne urged him on. His brother, however, continued giving him dirty looks every time he messed up the song.

When he finally finished, Lorne jumped up clapping and quickly led him to the side to talk, while his brother continued to play bits of Annie's "Tomorrow" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody" on the piano for a bit to some minor appreciation before he decided he was done and stomped off the stage. Matt watched him grab beer at the bar, before he turned his attention back to Mohinder to chat.

He was caught off guard when the man abruptly dropped into the seat beside him, slamming the already half-empty mug down on the table. He eyed the trio, but Matt couldn't get a read on him.

He finally turned and stared at Matt. "Can I help you with something, sir?" he asked, defaulting to his 'cop voice'.

The man glanced over to Lorne and his brother, who seemed on the edge of tears from this embarrassment. Keeping his eyes on his brother, the man leaned toward Matt, who fought the urge to lean away, especially as he caught a whiff of the man's odor from lack of washing his hair.

The man slowly turned his head to Matt, the piercing blue of his eyes unnerving the telepath.

"Brothers, man. Brothers," he said simply, drowned the rest of his beer, belched, and then whispered, "I smell bacon," in Matt's ear before he walked out.

What Matt 'heard' was something entirely different. _"Would you touch my vagina? Wait. That's what you're supposed to say." _followed immediately by _"Kissing me is like making out with a doormat." _

A dumbfounded Matt looked across to an equally dumbfounded Mohinder, then over to Lorne to see the man's brother had broken down in tears and Lorne was trying to comfort him as best he could.

"Why must he always do this to me?" the man wailed. Lorne helped him up and towards the door, when it suddenly burst open. The bearded man stopped and stared at the stony grimace his brother gave him.

"Will you hurry the fuck up?" he almost shouted. "When you look like me it's hard to get a table for one at Chuck E. Cheese!"

Matt started to rise, but Lorne waved him down. "Are you done?" he asked the bearded man, who smiled jovially and nodded. "Fine, I'll see you next Wednesday, then? Open Mic?"

"Sure, Lorne," he said causally, before tossing a last look at Matt. "Just messing with ya, 5-0," he said with a wink and blew Matt a kiss before pulling his brother past him and closing the door. Matt was speechless.

Lorne came back to the table and apologized. "I'm sorry, he just seems to enjoy embarrassing his twin brother like that whenever he visits. He's harmless, really." Matt and Mohinder again exchanged dumbfounded looks as Lorne continued. "No, really. He's really funny. Swing by Wednesday and see him perform his routine, he kills every time. I love having him here! Destined for big things, that boy is!" He wagged a finger in the air to emphasize his point.

With that he patted Matt on the back and turned his attention to another party that were getting ready to perform.

"Is this place like this every night?" Mohinder asked.

Matt shared a smile with Molly. "Welcome to LA, Mohinder!"

Shortly after, they decided to take their leave and Matt promised Lorne he would be back with Daphne next time, if only to see this so-called comedian's stand up act.

As the trio made their way down the street, Matt picked up a stray thought directed at him: _"Is that--? Holy shit, it sure is!"_

Before he could locate the source of the thought, police lights lit up the block and Mohinder blinked and covered his eyes as he caught the edge of the spotlight directed at Matt's back.

"Stay where you are," came a familiar voice over the car's PA. "Do not move or we will be forced to shoot. Is that understood?" Matt started to turn, but stopped when the officer yelled, "I said 'Freeze', dirtbag!"

A panicked Molly and Mohinder (among the handful of other bystanders nearby) threw their arms up in the air, and Matt chuckled at them before following suit. He heard someone walk up behind him and felt something poke him in the back.

"Sir, I have one question for you," a gruff man's voice said from behind him. "Is that a nightstick in your pocket or are you just happy to see me?"

Matt saw Mohinder's jaw drop as Molly burst into giggles.

"I'm happy to see you, Cooper," Matt replied calmly before turning to face the blond cop.

"Aw, you just wanted to use my cuffs again, didn't you, Parkman?" Cooper joked, as they hugged in greeting. Cooper then motioned to the car and the cruiser's light bar went dark. "What brings you back to this neck of the woods, Matt?" he asked. "We heard you went all NYPD Blue on us?"

"Nah, not enough ass in those locker rooms like yours," he joked. "Seriously? Setting up my new digs back out here. Mohinder and I are going to be running the West Coast branch of this new PrimaTech Company."

"What?" John asked incredulously. "Who the hell is crazy enough to let _you_ run a company?" he laughed.

Matt gave him a sideways glance and smiled. "We're still keeping details under wraps, but, well, you remember when I punched out Tom?"

Cooper smiled, as he remembered having a ringside seat for that little event. "The one that got you suspended from the Force?"

Matt nodded and glanced to his puzzled companions before continuing. "Turns out, something was going on I didn't fully realize at the time." He pet Molly's hair. "It began with this one, or so I thought, but we know now it's a lot bigger than most of us realized."

"You lost me, Matt."

Matt chuckled. "I'm sorry, John, where are my manners?" He held out his hand to Mohinder. "John Cooper, meet Dr. Mohinder Suresh and Molly Walker. Prof, Molly, meet Officer John Cooper, one of LA's worst joke tellers."

Chuckling, John and Mohinder shook hands and then John took his first real look at Molly. "Wait, don't I know you?"

"I don't think so?" she replied.

"No, wait, you were that little girl who that psycho came after in the station, right?" he asked, incredulous. "How'd you wind up with _this_ guy?" He chuckled as he jerked his thumb at Matt.

Molly cringed at the thought of Sylar, and hugged Matt's leg.

"Oh jeez! I'm sorry, honey!" he apologized.

Matt patted her head again. "It's okay, honey, he didn't mean it." He turned back to John. "Mohinder and I are kinda her foster dads, right now, and--"

"Wait, foster _dads_?" he asked. "What does this all have to do with anything? Matt are you telling me--?"

"Hold on, John," Matt laughed, picking up the connections Cooper was making. "Back to square one, I found out Tom and Janice were--well, that was the final straw with our marriage, and then with getting suspended which, long story short, I wound up running into Molly, here, again in New York, where I also met Mohinder, and helped save the city."

"Matt, you got _shot_," Molly chided him, holding up four fingers to Cooper as Mohinder chuckled.

"We all had our parts to play, Molly," he reminded her.

"There's a point to this, right?" Cooper asked. "You got shot? You and Janice split, too, and you've gone all 'My Two Dads'?"

This time, it was Matt who caught his friend's wording. "Wait, 'split, too'? You mean you and--"

"Yeah, things didn't work out for us, either," he replied gruffly and gave Matt a stern look. "You were telling me your story?"

"um, yeah, well, we got involved in this whole thing, Janice and I split, and Molly convinced Mohinder to take me in after I got shot," Matt explained.

"Thank you, Mohinder!" Molly piped up, beaming at the Indian.

Matt grinned down at her, then up to his friend. "Yes, thank you, Mohinder," he repeated, smiling. "Anyway, it turns out the strange sh--" He paused, glanced at Molly, and John laughed. "er, stuff, um, we see on the beat doesn't hold a candle to what I've been through the last year."

"You've still told me nothing, Matt," Cooper said flatly.

Matt glanced to Mohinder, who nodded in return. "We've gotten a second chance at life, Coop. We're starting over in ways we didn't imagine possible."

Cooper looked between the two men. "You mean, you--"

"_No! _Dude! Where do you even get--" Then he caught it from Cooper's thoughts, a small glimmer of hope toward Matt, which was immediately crushed with his protest. "Oh, wow. John, I didn't--"

Cooper cut him off. "What are you talking about, Matt?" he asked defiantly. Matt understood not to continue.

"_It's okay, I won't tell, John_."

Cooper started to deny this, before he realized Matt didn't move his lips. "What? How?"

Matt smiled. "_We all have our secrets, John_," he thought before continuing aloud. "Why do you think I punched out Tom?" he asked, tapping his temple. "Wasn't exactly the way I wanted to find out about it, y'know?"

"Oh man, this is too weird," Cooper protested.

Matt laughed. "Weird doesn't even _begin_ to describe it, man," he said. "Want to see my new squeeze?"

Cooper raised an eyebrow, then glanced at Mohinder.

"_Knock it off, it ain't Mohinder, buddy_," he thought before he put his arm around a petite blonde who hadn't been there before.

"Whoa, where did she come from?" Cooper asked, taken aback. Molly and Mohinder glanced over to Matt, confused. Molly understood and smiled.

"Meet Daphne," Matt said. "Well, this is what she looks like, I'll bring her by in person once she gets done getting moved out here," he explained. "If she's not at her dad's in Kansas, or packing her stuff in Paris, or...wherever," he shrugged.

"Paris? Texas?" Cooper asked.

"France," Matt smirked.

"And she can do this, too?" He wiggled his finger between their heads.

Matt smiled. "No, she, uh, she's...really fast," he smiled.

Cooper glanced down to Matt's gut and raised his eyebrow.

Matt sighed in defeat at what his friend was thinking. "Trust me, I'm getting her to slow down, but she's got her reasons for putting up with me. Trust me on that," he winked.

"Whatever you say, Parkman," Cooper replied in mock disbelief, adjusting his belt. _Woof._

Matt sighed. "And here I thought about offering you a job, if you wanted it," he said nonchalantly.

"A job? Doing what?"

Matt sent him a thought, which gave John cause to pause with a raised brow. "No, seriously, more of a...security detail thing, if you're interested? No pressure. I've got a couple guys in mind from the Force. Guys I trust to keep a secret," he explained.

"I don't know, Matt," Cooper said. "I kinda like busting the rookie chops around here." He turned back to the cruiser and yelled at the young officer trying not to look like he was listening in -- and failing. "Ain't that right, Ben?"

"Sir, yes sir," came the reply.

"Don't get smart with me, kid," Cooper shot back before turning back to Matt. "I dunno, Matt, I'll have to think about it."

"Offer is on the table, if you ever change your mind, John," he replied. "I'll probably stop by the station, see if some others are interested. Need to let the Chief know what we're up to, at least. I'll probably have some cards made up to give to you by then. Like I said, we're just setting up and we could use a few guys like yourself."

Cooper raised an eyebrow to this.

"Good with a gun and, uh, keeping secrets," Matt clarified with a wink. "I'll let you get back to patrol. I'll see you later?"

"Yeah man, take care," Cooper replied, shaking hands goodbye and returning to his cruiser.

"What was all that about?" Ben asked as John slid behind the wheel.

John mused and glanced at the rookie. "Old friend, crazy idea, and...I'm not sure what to think. It's a new day out there, kid. Sometimes, you've got to do something...unexpected."

Ben gave his training officer a confused look.

"Welcome to the Force, kid. LA. Love it or leave it, it only gets weirder from here."

-

To Be Continued....

* * *

A/N - okay, for those that didn't guess, that was both of Zach Galifianakis' personalities at the Caritas club. I just needed an act and didn't want Angel singing "Mandy" again. Since I already used Zach's last name for an OC, I figured throw in part of his act at Lorne's club. Apologies will be given to ZKG personally as soon as he returns my glasses. ;)

Meanwhile, go see Zach's new movies! VISIONEERS (*****), THE HANGOVER (*****), and G-FORCE (in 3D)!! and check out HBO's "Bored to Death" while you're at it!!

Also, I'm really liking the new NBC series SOUTHLAND, and hope they do a small crossover with that show and Matt's arc in s4/v5, even if it's just seeing the characters passing by in the background of either show when Matt returns to LA. (Cudlitz/McKenzie/Hatosy/Howell/King or even Fischler with _his_ Sybrows on Heroes, or Grunny in the background on Southland.)

(They just announced casting call for Matt's mentor, and a mention of LAPD, as I was starting on this story, so...?)

UPDATE: I wrote this over the summer well before NBC decided to axe the show, mid-shhot. Luckily, TNT has stepped up and will be airing the first 7 ep along with the sic they already shot for s2! THANK YOU TNT!! and SaveSouthLAnd

____________

TBC


	3. Chapter 2: Bank Job

Heroes: Recruitment: Bank Job

Assignment: Los Angeles

Characters: Matt Parkman, Capt. Baldwin from Heroes; John Cooper from Southland; OCs; a few surprise cameos.

Disclaimer: I own nothing. HEROES characters intellectual property of Tim Kring; Southland characters intellectual property of NBC-Universal (??)

-

John Cooper didn't sleep well that night after running into his old friend, Matt Parkman. Living and working in Los Angeles was weird enough with all the movie and television stars, not to mention some of the projects they would shoot around the city. Most found themselves jaded by "The Business", but John secretly enjoyed that part of his job.

Comic Book movies and TV projects had grown in popularity over the past decade, but having them in real life was another thing altogether. Knowing now that some of that weirdness out there could be explained by people having honest-to-god real-life comic book powers? That's what amazed and frightened him. Especially when people he had known for years might possess these fantastical abilities.

Matt Parkman was a stand up guy. A straight shooter if you were straight with him. John was glad he was one of the good guys. But how many others were out there, if they were setting up shop _here_? And just how many weren't as decent as Matt?

His mind was still buzzing with this revelation as he settled into the morning shift briefing.

"Alright, listen up, gang," the watch commander said, calling the room to order. He began going over the usual announcements, what had happened overnight, who was shooting what where (both suspected gangs and known film crews), and updating a handful of cases. John had barely paid attention until the Captain spoke to the officer next to him. "Tallman, any leads on that Valley Village bank job, yet?"

John glanced over to see the burly, bespectacled, red-headed sergeant reply. "No sir, we still can't match those partials to anyone on CFIS or on file with the bank, much less ID any point of entry or exit."

"The Mayor's busting my chops about this," the captain told him. "Find something soon so I can get him off my ass, would ya?"

"Yes sir," Sgt. Tallman replied.

"Okay that's it, everybody, watch your backs out there," he said. "I've got enough to deal with today. Dismissed."

There was a light clamor as the other officers in the room slowly made their way out. John held back and caught Tallman as he headed back to his desk. "Hey, Gary, you got a minute?"

"Yeah, Coop, what's up?"

"About that bank job?" John found himself getting nervous. What he was about to say was going to make him look like a fool. "You said there weren't any signs of entry, and only a couple partials?"

"Yeah, you heard anything about it on the streets?" Gary asked. "Similar B&E's or anything?"

"No, but I, uh, I think I might know someone who can help."

"Is this source off the record or--?"

John hesitated. "Well, uh, you might know him, but we have to keep this quiet for now, if it is what I think it is."

"Inside job?" Gary whispered. "Do we need to go to IA on this?"

John almost laughed, slightly relieved Gary was jumping to the wrong conclusion. "No, uh, I ran into someone last night. He may be able to help us."

"Oh man, not another one of those phony Hollywood psychics to the stars, is it?" Gary chuckled.

"No, uh," John decided it best to just give the name, let Gary follow up on his own. "You remember Matt Parkman?"

"Matt Parkman?" Gary rolled the name around for a second, mentally putting a face to the name. "Wasn't he the guy who punched McHenry in the locker room about a year ago? Didn't he move to New York after that?"

"Yeah," John chuckled. "That's who I'm talking about. So you do know him?"

"Yeah, we know each other a bit," Gary said, recalling the first time Matt ran into him. Quite literally. "Why?"

"I ran into him last night, he's back in town and, well, he mentioned something that might help you with a break in this case."

"How does he have a lead already if he's just moved back?"

"Now, I didn't say he had a lead, just that he might have, let's say, a different perspective on something going on you might not be aware of," John explained. He pulled out his cell. "Here, he gave me his new number, but he did say he might be checking in with the department, real soon."

"Why would he do that?" Gary asked, wondering what Cooper was on about as he wrote the number down.

"Just--just call him, tell him about the case," John told him. "If he can help you, fine. If not, then no harm in checking out his thoughts on it, now that he has his Detective's badge from NYPD."

"He finally passed the exam out there?"

"Don't ask me, that's what he claims," he laughed. "Just tell him what you know, see what he thinks."

"Why are you doing this, John? What's in it for you?"

Cooper hesitated. "I-I don't really know, but--listen, I'll let Matt tell you. It's not really my place to say, okay?"

Gary regarded his fellow officer a moment. "Yeah, sure, man. It can't hurt to call the guy, right?" Cooper nodded. "Thanks, Cooper."

"Yeah, um, don't mention it," he said nervously, spotting Ben across the room, waiting on him. "I gotta go. I'll talk to you later, okay?"

Gary nodded and went to his desk. _What the hell happened with Parkman in New York that he could help with a break-in out here? In Valley Village of all places_, he wondered.

Gary didn't think much of it, as he had some calls to make on other cases, but finally gave in and called the number Cooper had given him. A young woman's voice answered the phone. "I'm calling for a Matt Parkman?"

"Matt? Yeah, just a sec," she said. He could swear she passed in front of a strong fan as he heard the phone being handed off.

"Yeah, this is Matt?" came a vaguely familiar voice.

"Hey Matt, it's Gary Tallman from the LAPD," he introduced himself. "I don't know if you remember me?"

"Gary? Yeah, man, I remember you," Matt replied. "Was there something you guys needed, or--?"

"Actually, John Cooper gave me this number, said you might have some insight on a case I'm working on?"

"Coop, huh? That was fast," Matt chuckled.

"I'm sorry?"

"Listen, why don't I come in?" Matt said. "We can sit down and I'll see if I can help you."

"Well, I'm not that busy at the moment, but I do have a few things to take care of this afternoon, so depending on your schedule--?" He heard Matt whispering to someone beside him.

"Yeah, uh, I'm actually in the neighborhood. I can be there in a few minutes?"

"Great, Matt, I'll see you in a bit," he said and hung up. He had a weird feeling about what was going on, but he had been ordered to find a break, and if Parkman could supply it, all the better.

He was surprised when barely fifteen minutes later, he looked up to see Matt glancing about the office, looking for him. "Parkman? Over here," he called. He couldn't help but think Matt had turned as soon as he had seen him, but played it off as his mind playing tricks on him. Or just a coincidence. Yeah, that was it.

"Hey Gary, how ya doin'?" Matt asked shaking his hand. "I hear you got your stripes?"

"I hear you finally passed your exam? You're an official Dick, now?" he laughed.

Matt laughed, too. "Yeah, seems they don't ask the hard questions out there, plus you have the option of a verbal test."

Gary was puzzled. "We've got a verbal option, too?"

"Yeah, well," Matt fumbled. "You said Cooper thought I might have an idea about a case you're on?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, Matt, some weird stuff," he said, sitting down at his desk again. He missed Matt's puzzled reaction as he sat. "Seems we've got a bank job, no visible signs of entry, only a couple partial prints, a couple million missing, and no sign of any exit. It's like the money just vanished into thin air overnight."

He looked up to see Matt had a worried expression on his face. "No prints, no entry, missing money?" he asked. "Can I see the files?"

Gary pushed a couple folders his way. "Be my guest."

Matt spent a few minutes going over the typed notes, occasionally asking Gary what his hand-written notes were, making light jokes about penmanship.

"Can I be honest with you, Gary?" he finally asked.

"Yeah, man, anything you can share on this, be my guest."

Matt sighed. "Oh boy, how do I put this?" he asked.

"Mr. NYPD Detective has no clue, either?" Gary chuckled.

Matt didn't laugh. "To be honest, it looks like your robbers were Specials."

Gary didn't get it. "Specials? You mean specialists? Yeah, they'd have to be to break in and leave no trace, like--"

"No, Gary," Matt interrupted him. "They had unique gifts to pull this off, but not in the way you're thinking. No Oceans 11, Italian Job-style talents. I think these guys had other talents."

"I...don't get it? What are you saying, Matt?"

"You're wearing the blue boxer-briefs, today. You had scrambled eggs and OJ for breakfast before seeing your daughter off to school, and a quick petting session with the wife before you had to leave this morning."

Gary stared at him, stunned. "How the fuck--?"

Matt could sense his growing anger. "Hold up, buddy, I'm not stalking you."

"Then how did you--?"

"When you called, earlier, I was just getting up, myself," he explained. "A quick shower and donut, then my girlfriend ran me over here."

"So you're living a few blocks away?"

"Nope, about five miles from here, right now."

"No way. Matt don't bullshit me, man."

"Gary, I haven't seen you in over a year. We haven't kept in touch for longer than that, yet I know what you did this morning because you let your mind wander while I was going over your notes," Matt explained. "Coop didn't tell you what we talked about last night?"

"What's that got to do with anything?"

Matt stared at his friend, straight-faced. _I let him in on a little secret of mine. I can read minds, now. Also, my new girlfriend is a speedster._

Gary about fell out of his chair when he realized Matt's mouth didn't move. "What the fuck--?"

"Know how I convinced John last night?" Matt asked him, before gesturing to his side.

Gary looked over to see a petite blonde standing there, looking impatient. "Hurry up, Matt! I told you, I'm not comfortable around these places!" she muttered.

"This is Daphne, my new girlfriend. She's actually waiting for me outside," Matt explained as someone walked by, passing right through her. Matt did a double-take as he saw the thick eyebrows on the man. "Sylar!" he hissed before he realized his mistake.

"Whoa, Matt, what?" Gary asked dumbfounded, seeing his friend tense up as someone walked through the young lady.

"Sorry, sorry," Matt said to the passing detective and to Gary as he dropped the illusory Daphne.

"Matt, what the hell?"

"Sorry, I thought it was someone else," he replied, shaking it off.

"No, the girl who was just there, what--where?"

"Huh? Oh, Daphne?" he asked. "Yeah, she's actually outside waiting for me. That was one of my tricks I can do now," he admitted.

"Pretty impressive," Gary complimented him. "I didn't know you were into magic?"

"Magic?" Matt asked. "No, it's not magic. It's psychic illusion, telepathy, and--"

"What are you talking about, Matt?"

"Listen, I know it sounds weird, but trust me, it's real," Matt explained. "And from what I read in your reports, you may have someone who can either teleport or walk through walls in Valley Village."

"You are so full of sh--" Gary didn't get to finish the statement, as he suddenly found himself on a tropical beach, his wife wearing her skimpiest bikini. "--it!?"

"Or how about this?" Matt asked, appearing as he did sitting in the office. Gary suddenly found himself wearing his wife's bikini. He glanced over to Matt, who was attempting to stifle his laughter...and failing. "Convinced now?" he finally asked as Gary stood there, scowling, hands on his hips.

"You are serious, aren't you?" Gary asked as the illusion disappeared and he found himself in the office once more.

"Yes I am," Matt replied still chuckling. "Lucky for you, this is a fairly low-level ability, if it's a phaser."

"What, you mean like on Star Trek?"

"No, someone who can walk through walls," Matt replied. "I met someone briefly who could do it, but he's dead, so I know it's not him. I was thinking, this would explain the partials, if the perp only had to touch things as a last resort, gathering the money and such."

"This is hard for me to wrap my head around, but you're saying we don't have any full prints because he was, what, immaterial the whole time?" Gary asked. "A ghost?"

"Sounds like it to me," Matt replied. "Although, not dead. Do you have any other robberies or possible break-ins in the area that might be a clue to where this guy might be holed up?"

"We were thinking a local, or they would have hit a bigger bank with more money."

Matt locked eyes with his friend. "Sounds good to me, any people we like on this?"

"Whoa, what do you mean 'we', Parkman?" Gary stopped him. "This is my case, you are no longer assigned to this department, and are only hear as a--as I don't know what?"

"Freelance consultant?" Matt offered.

Gary sighed. "You know how crazy this sounds, right?"

"I guess I'm used to it, after the last year, man," Matt replied. "Want me to go talk to the Chief on this?"

Gary stared down at the case folders. "If you get me fired, you know I'm gonna kick your ass, right?"

Matt smiled. "Make you a deal, if this is the break you're looking for, you come work for me. If I get you fired, you still come work for me."

"I don't think I like the sound of that," Gary replied cautiously. "What kind of work are you in, now?"

"Let's just say, it's kind of a freelance investigation company, specializing in those with unique talents," Matt replied with a sly grin. "I told Coop last night I'm gonna need some local guys I can trust to keep a secret. Can I count on you to keep this quiet for now?"

"What about the Captain?"

"I was already planning on letting him know what we're up to," Matt said. "Not quite Batman and Commissioner Gordon, but something like that."

"I like Batman," Gary replied. "But I only wear tights for the wife," he chuckled as he gathered the files and rose to talk to the Captain. "Uh, Matt?"

"Yeah, Gary?" Matt said innocently.

"Why am I wearing a Robin costume?"

"You've got better legs than me?" Matt laughed as Gary smacked him on the head with the files.

The pair went to Captain Baldwin's office. Matt was hesitant as they entered, Baldwin looked up and his face turned sour.

"Parkman? What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Uh, well, I--"

Gary spoke up. "I was told by another officer that Detective Parkman might be able to help me on that Valley Village bank job, sir."

Baldwin regarded Gary a moment, then glanced to Matt before replying. "And?"

"I believe we have another avenue to investigate," he explained. "I would like to ask permission to bring Matt on the case as an outside consultant, sir."

"Based on what evidence? And who gave you a Detective's shield, Parkman?"

"NYPD, sir," Matt replied. "I believe I may be of some use on this investigation, as I have encountered others with the same, uh, skills to pull a job like this."

"In New York? Do you think this could be the same guy or a copycat?"

"It would have to be a copycat, as the other person in question is dead, I am told."

"Parkman, give me one good reason I shouldn't throw you out of here, right this moment?"

Matt thought a moment, then pulled out his cell phone. "If I may, sir?"

Baldwin gave him a 'why not' shrug.

Matt called a number off his phone list. "Yeah, Mi-er, Rebel?" he asked, catching himself to cover Micah's real name, just in case. "It's Matt. Do we have any files on phasers? Yeah, like your dad. Can you tell where I am? Good, could you send those files to the computer in front of me? Yeah, thanks, kiddo."

Gary gave his friend a questioning look. Baldwin stared at him darkly.

Matt motioned to the Captain's monitor. "If you look, you should see the files that may help break this case."

Baldwin slowly leaned back so he could keep an eye on Matt as he glanced to his screen. His eyes widened. "Did you just have someone hack my system, Parkman?"

"A simple download of information, sir, nothing more."

Baldwin read over the file that appeared on his monitor. "What is this, some comic book bullshit?" He looked back to Matt, who was drawing a business card from his suit jacket.

"It's all true, sir," Matt said, laying the card on the desk. "I'm not sure what Rebel sent you, but I can assure you, it is the truth and if you call the number on that card, they should back up what that file says and that you may have a bigger problem than you realize."

"Get the hell out, Parkman!" he yelled. "And don't ever shadow my door again!" Baldwin ordered.

Matt rose and slowly strode to the door. "I'm just trying to get off with the Department on a fresh, good start, Captain. Just remember, you were the one who didn't want my help."

"Out!" he yelled, then turned to Tallman. "Both of you! Out!"

Matt waited for his friend and accompanied him back to his desk. "Listen, Gary, keep me informed on this, and any other weird stuff going on, will ya?"

"What _is_ going on, Matt?"

"Either there's a new Special on the loose out there, causing trouble, or--well, I hope the alternative isn't what I think it is."

"Give me a hint?"

Matt sighed, trying to decide how much to tell. "Okay, here's the gist of it. What I can do, it turns out my father could do. At some point, a Formula was created to activate the dormant genes in others. We thought the only sample was destroyed along with the Formula, itself," he explained. "There are others out there, who can do so many weird and wild things. Daphne is a speedster, there's a man who can fly, I know someone who can time-travel, the ki-uh, person I called? He can talk to computers--"

"That's how that file got into the captain's desktop?"

"Right. Like I said, there are people who can walk through walls and teleport, so many things people can do," he went on. "Many aren't even aware of the more subtle abilities, like this gal who lived in Montana, I think Mohinder said, she said she could hear a roach crawling across a floor like it was a freaking marching band!" he said excitedly in hushed tones.

"So you think our perp is a wall-walker? Like Spider-Man?" Gary asked. "Matt, please tell me you aren't making this shit up."

Matt fished out another card. "Here, contact these people, tell them you know me and ask anything you want. If you want my help on this case, you just say the word and I'll help you out."

"I dunno, Matt," Gary replied, questioning his earnestness.

Matt turned to him. "Remember how we first met?"

"You ran into me like a locomotive," Gary chuckled.

"Yeah, sorry about that," Matt said, "but listen, there are people out there that could have known what was going to happen that morning, could have prevented it or even saved my mother's life if they could. There are also people who would like nothing better than to see me, my friends, our entire families laying dead at their feet and they have the power to do it. No one would ever know what's really going on in the world without me and my friends to keep things in check."

"What, you talking secret coups, who really killed Kennedy, stuff like that?"

"Honestly? I don't know how far back it goes, but at least to the Sixties, probably longer if Adam didn't meddle any more than he did," Matt explained.

"Adam?"

"Yeah, never mind," he said, shaking it off. "Listen, keep me informed on this. I will help you if I can, buddy."

"Yeah, sure, Matt," he replied before noticing what Matt already saw: Captain Baldwin was watching them from his office door.

"That offer stands if you need it, Gary."

"Understood, Matt," he replied as Matt hustled off and he returned to casework.

After two weeks without any significant breaks Baldwin would acknowledge, Gary was pulled off the case but not before he copied all the evidence he had so far to share with Matt. By that time, Baldwin had become increasingly suspicious and tried to have Internal Affairs check him out, but they could not find anything to investigate on him.

Baldwin put him back on patrol, regardless, at which point Gary decided to see if Matt was serious about his job offer. Being put on patrol only served to give Gary time to follow up on Matt's leads and discuss things on the street with Cooper, who acknowledged Matt had given him the same offer. They also had a few street café meetings with Matt about the case, which he seemed uneasy about.

Matt's concern turned out to be well founded, as IA had been following Gary, making note of his meetings with both Cooper and Parkman, and reporting them to Baldwin. Baldwin tried to have both men suspended and Matt brought up on charges, but he soon found out Matt was somehow able to afford some of the best legal defense LA had seen since OJ Simpson. Six months after Matt had returned, both men walked, along with a couple more officers who knew what was going on. All of them soon found themselves as the newest agents of the PrimaTech/Pinehearst Company.

Having tried to interfere with several investigations, Baldwin's superiors soon decided he was no longer needed, either, and quietly forced him into an early retirement.

-

While this was going on, Tracy Strauss and Benjamin "Knox" Washington found themselves as distributors of the latest designer drug, "Formula P". They soon had a small army of loyal and servile dealers as their new found empire soon reached Las Vegas, and points east along Route 66 into Texas, Oklahoma, and St Louis, Missouri. Chicago and Detroit soon filtered across the border into Canada, as the Texas line filtered along the Gulf Coast to Florida, and the East Coast crown jewel of New York City had already been infected as the Petrelli's soon found out, with Pinehearst becoming swamped in emergency calls.

Most of the Formula had been watered down so that the effects were minor and short-lived, but every once in a while, a true Potential managed to get their hands on it and it activated their previously dormant abilities.

Soon enough, the Formula found it's way into mainland Europe and England, then into Northern Africa, across Asia and the Far East, where it became a highly prized commodity, especially in Japan, where fads were embraced whole-heartedly, causing no end of headaches for Hiro Nakamura's new branch of Yamagato, trying his best to keep up with the growing insurgence of Enhanced Abilities. The last hold-out seemed to be Australia, but it, too, soon found itself dealing with a problem very few knew how to handle.

PrimaTech and Pinehearst soon had their hands full, coast to coast, and re-opening Company branches around the world, keeping these people from causing too much harm. They recruited whenever possible, detained when necessary, and restrained the more insubordinate and volatile.

Of course, they weren't the only ones recruiting. A certain traveling carnival soon found it's ranks growing in their travels.

They had no idea this was all part of the plan of one man. One who was cherry-picking certain individuals as they blossomed, even as he began spreading the Formula abroad.

All was going according to his plans once more.

tbc_____________

A/N: yes, Captain Baldwin was one of Matt's police tribunal in s1; Southland's John Cooper is still here (and a cameo by Patrick Fischler and _his_ Sybrows, lol); and Officer Gary Tallman from an earlier story got his Sergeant's stripes. He's still based on actor Chris Tallman (hey, buddy!) -from Reno 911, TGYH, Mentalist, Rescue Dawn, etc- and will pop up again.

To be honest, I had this story and Growth Spurt bouncing around my head from the moment I added Coop, knowing he would join Matt, but couldn't find the hook even after adding the background bank job to Duality (ch5?). The first part took so long, I wasn't sure if I wanted to leave the bank job case open or close it up right away. Looks like I skipped ahead to leave it for another day?


	4. Chapter 3: Growth Spurt

Heroes: Growth Spurt

Characters: Matt, Mohinder, Peter, Daphne, OCs, John Cooper

A/N: Just playing with Tim Kring's toys, special guest star John Cooper from NBC's Southland.

----

**Los Angeles - PrimaTech - Main conference room**

"You know, Matt, no one's gonna take this seriously if you post vague experiment type notices in the major papers," Daphne informed her beau as she looked over the men's shoulders.

Matt looked to Mohinder, slightly annoyed. "Then where do you suggest we post these notices?" he asked.

Mohinder chimed in before the speedster could respond. "I know of several scientific journals we can--"

"The tabloids," she cut the Indian off before he could prattle on again.

The men looked at each other again, dumbfounded. "W-What?" Matt asked.

"Absolutely not!" Mohinder protested. "This isn't some game, Miss Millbrook," he informed her. "I shall not have these people made fun of, made into laughingstocks!"

"'These people'?" she retorted. "Wake up, Prof, _we are _'these people'!" She waved her finger between the three of them.

Mohinder shot Matt a dark look, mentally chastising him at Daphne's use of Matt's nickname for him. He turned back to the young woman. "Daphne, we are asking people to take us seriously. That will not happen if we advertise in those gossip rags!"

Daphne smirked, waiting for him to finish. "The people we are trying to reach will not be looking through normal channels for help, Mohinder. People get a laugh out of the weird stories some of these tabloids print, never taking them seriously, but they do print true stories of weirdness on occasion."

"Daphne--" Mohinder began in his most down putting tone.

"I'm serious, Mohinder!" she protested, throwing down a small stack of the magazines in question. "Ask Bennet if they didn't use these as tip offs to potential Specials like us!" she demanded. "Between the old Company files, unusual news, and doctor's reports, I think these are the best way to find people!"

"Daphne, I hardly think--"

"She's got a point, Prof," Matt interrupted this time. "Granted, I never believed in UFO's and Bigfoot before this, I'm now open to the possibility that these may be people with abilities at the very least, or the real deal at the most...I dunno, mind boggling."

"Next you'll be telling me people can bend time and space, read minds, leap tall buildings in a single bound, more powerful than a locomotive, and run faster than a speeding bullet," he sighed.

Matt and Daphne crossed their arms, raised an eyebrow each and glared at him.

"What? I can't make a joke?"

Matt groaned as Daphne threw the stack of magazines at their friend.

"Fine," he laughed, "but you're manning the reception desk for all the crazy people we're going to get walking in the door!"

-

**Olathe, KS**

"I should warn you, I haven't been with anyone for a while," Dan Walters chuckled nervously as he broke the kiss with his date. "I may be a bit rusty at first."

"Don't worry, I'll be gentle...or not," Drew smiled and began kissing Dan's chest lower and lower until reaching the intended destination. Drew looked up at Dan and smiled. "Nice one."

"Thanks," Dan said as he threw his head back and closed his eyes as Drew pleasured him.

"What the f--?" Drew suddenly yelled out.

"Mmm, don't stop, don't stop," Dan moaned, lost in the moment.

"Is this some kind of trick?" Drew demanded, grabbing clothes and backing out of the room.

"What?" Dan asked, opening his eyes. "What are you talking ab--?" Then he saw the look of fear and horror on Drew's face as it disappeared behind his bedroom door. Moments later, he heard the front door slam, followed by an engine being gunned and tires peeling out down the street.

"Damn, not again," Dan moaned as he pulled the sheet over his naked body. He hoped it wouldn't last as long this time. He didn't even try to fight the tears as he rolled over in defeat.

The next morning, he was relieved to see his 'condition' had absolved itself as he stretched out his 6'4", nearly 400 pound frame. He hated to admit it, but he couldn't go on like this.

He drug himself out of bed and went to the dresser. He stared at himself for a minute. "This has gotta stop," he told his reflection. He looked down and pulled open the dresser drawer, removing the pistol and raising it to his head.

"This ends now," he said and pulled the trigger.

Click.

He sighed and dropped the gun back into the drawer. "One of these days, I'm going to buy a bullet." He slammed the drawer shut and went into the bathroom to get ready for work.

"Rough night?" Bob asked, seeing his boss stumble in, unshaven once more.

Dan harrumphed and shot his mechanic a dirty look. "Don't you have work to do?" he snapped as he poured himself his morning coffee.

Bob shuffled off to the shop area and the Ford Ranger engine he didn't finish from the night before. Dan stumbled to the corner table they used for lunch and noticed a fresh stack of Bob's tabloids his wife brought home from the local grocery store she worked at. Bob brought them in for customers to read. He casually glanced through the stack, passing up the celebrity gossip for the weirder and faker ones filled with something to amuse him this lousy morning after.

He glanced through the rag as he sipped his coffee. He almost missed it, but did a double take and re-read the ad. "Need A Special Kind of Help for a Special Kind of Problem? Confidentiality Ensured." There was a phone number as well as a website address. He glanced over his shoulder to the shop, Bob had his head under the hood of the Ranger, already. He double-checked his pocket for his cell phone and headed for the bathroom with the magazine.

As he expected, the phone number was the usual electronic multiple choices on how best to describe his 'problem'. He tried to answer as best he could, but it sounded like the usual medical problems for those that needed to see a doctor, but refused to do because of money, embarrassment, or whatever reason. Still, something about the choices had his interest piqued until it said to inquire further on their website. He ripped half the page out and shoved it in his pants before continuing his day to check out later at home.

He trudged through the day, tolerating Bob's well meaning joviality. He made a game of how many unique ways he could kill the man and get away with it. Today. As always, yesterday didn't count. Nah, Annie would know it was him that killed her husband and he'd be in trouble. She might thank him for it, though, he laughed to himself as Bob went on about something Dan could care less about.

When he finally got home, he fished the now tattered and oil stained ad out of his pocket and sat down at his computer to check out this "PrimaTech" site. A web search turned up a paper company in Texas and some evolutionary sites. It looked like some conspiracy theory site to him at first, but then he noticed the "Are you PrimaTech Material?" button by a funny shaped 'S' logo. He clicked on it out of boredom.

Another quiz popped up, asking general questions about who and where the visitor was from, asking for unusual talents. He figured he might as well fill it out, not sure what it was about quite yet. Then it asked for 'extraordinary and unique talents' that might convince them to contact the submitter.

Dan stared at the box for a long minute before entering what his 'unique talent' was and hit 'Submit'. He hoped this wasn't some sort of scam as the usual "Thank you for visiting! One of our Representatives may contact you shortly!" popped up. He logged off and decided to check his email. He deleted the usual spam, laughing at the ironic nature of the usual 'male enhancement' scams he would never need. Then he saw a new message popped up. He didn't recognize the sender, "Rebel1", but saw the dot-com name was from PrimaTech, he clicked on it, hoping it wasn't a virus.

"Mr. Walters, We would like to hear more of your story," it said and encouraged this wasn't a scam or prank, but to share with this 'Rebel1' more details of what he had just submitted to the PrimaTech website, with both the PrimaTech and a Pinehearst sites included.

"What the hell," Dan said to himself and proceeded to write a vague version of the events the night before and included the gun incident from that morning.

No sooner had he clicked 'send' than a new message appeared in his inbox. "Don't despair, there is always hope. We may be able to help. Agents will contact you shortly."

He laughed it off and hit 'delete'.

Dan got up and headed into the kitchen to see what he had for dinner. Probably pizza. Again. He reached for the refrigerator door when his cell phone rang. "Or not," he groused and flipped it open to answer. "Hello?"

"Mr. Walters?"

"Yeah, who is this?"

"You can call me Rebel for now. Why did you delete my last message?"

Dan was dumbstruck. This 'Rebel' sounded young, like a teenager. "Who the hell is this?" he demanded.

"A friend who wants to help."

"I don't need no help from no punk kid!" he yelled.

"I have friends who have been in your position. We all want to help the others like us. Suicide isn't the answer."

Dan was prepared to give the kid an earful, but the kid's words caught his throat. "Others? W-what others?" he finally choked out. "I'm not normal. I'm some kind of freak!"

"One person's freak is another person's Special, Mr. Walters," Rebel informed him. "We're all Special in our own ways, and my friends want to help."

"You can't help me kid," he said, his voice breaking.

"Look at your computer," Rebel replied.

"What?"

"Go look at your computer. You'll see how wrong you are, sir."

Dan stared at his phone. What the hell, he thought and went back to his bedroom computer. Images flashed on the screen before him. Video of people doing things he had only seen in movies and comics when he was a kid. "What the hell, kid, you gave me some kind of virus?" he yelled into the phone.

Another window popped up. A young teen with a mocha complexion and a jheri-curl was on a web-camera. He smiled. "I told you, we're all Special in our own ways, Mr. Walters," came the voice from both his phone and the computer.

"Nice try, kid, but I bet my niece and nephew could pull this trick with the right equipment."

"Is that the dresser you keep your gun in?" he asked in echo, the teen in the video pointed to the side, directly at the dresser.

Dan did a double take. He didn't have a web camera. "What? Who are you? How are you doing this?"

Micah smiled. "You can call me Rebel."

-

Dan nervously paced the waiting room. Whoever this Rebel really was, whoever was behind this PrimaTech and Pinehearst, they bankrolled his trip to LA, including room, board, and some spending money. He looked around again, fairly new furnishings, some pamphlets on getting help for various real mental and physical complaints, and a couple copies of some blue book with that same symbol from the website.

What the hell was he doing? He had to get back home and run his garage. Bob would probably wind up blowing the place up if left alone too long! He had no time for this nonsense!

"Mr. Walters?" a perky young blonde asked from the doorway, startling him. "Would you come this way, please?"

He followed her down a corridor and into a small conference room. "Mr. Parkman and Dr. Suresh will be with you, shortly," she beamed. "Can I get you anything to drink while you wait?"

"No, that's ok," he said, even as he wished he could have a soda. This place must be new or real high class, as the lobby didn't even have any soda machines, he thought.

"Okay, then, There's water and coffee in the corner if you change your mind," she said lightly, pointing to the coffee maker and small sink and glass-paneled mini-icebox, before she left him alone to wait.

A few minutes later, the door opened and three men entered. The burly man in a suit entered first, a can of Dr. Pepper in one hand, followed by an Indian man in a lab coat and a third dressed casual but slightly preppy.

"Sorry to keep you waiting," the first man said, setting the can of soda down in front of Dan. "My name is Detective Parkman, these are my associates, Dr. Suresh and Mr. Petrelli," he motioned to the pair.

"Detective?" Dan asked, eyeing the soda for a second before looking to Matt.

"Ah, yes, I was on the LAPD before transferring to the NYPD Detective's Division briefly, before returning here," Matt informed him. "That's not going to be a problem, is it?"

"Uh, no, it just struck me as odd, that's all," he replied, eyeing the other two. "Listen, I'm still not sure what this is all about. This kid said you could help me, but never really said what it is you people do?"

Matt sighed and gave Petrelli a look, who just smirked. "My apologies, Mr. Walters. Can I call you Dan?"

Dan shrugged in return.

"Our, ah, associate, er, 'Rebel'? He tends to jump into things before we have a chance to discuss them thoroughly."

"So you're saying some kid paid for me to come out here on your dime to talk me out of suicide?"

Petrelli and Suresh perked up at this. Matt regarded him a moment. "Not at all, sir. You're not the first person we've contacted who believed that was the answer."

"Then what is this, some new Scientology recruitment or something? I ain't got much, especially no Tom Cruise or John Travolta money for you to bilk me out of."

Matt fought a laugh. "I'm sorry?"

"Far from it, Mr. Walters," Mohinder finally spoke up. "We understand you believe you have some unique and extraordinary talents you do not especially care for?"

"Well, it is kinda embarrassing," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"No worries," Mohinder replied. "I used to teach genetics, Mr. Parkman was a police officer for...how many years?"

"Eleven long years, I've seen just about everything."

"And Mr. Petrelli here has been a nurse for a few years," he motioned to Peter.

"I started out in hospice care before becoming a paramedic," Peter clarified. "Beyond that, the three of us have seen some pretty wild stuff. That's how we met, actually."

"Mine's really weird," Dan mumbled.

"We're all adults, here, Mr. Walters," Matt said, sensing his nervousness. "I'm sure we can--"

"When I get, uh, aroused, I, um," he fumbled for the words. "When I get aroused I...." the final word was lost in a mumble.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that?" Mohinder prodded.

"I _shrink_." His face reddened. He just wanted to curl up and die. 45 years old and he can't admit this to people who seem to want to help. I'm buying that bullet, he thought.

"You suffer from erectile dysfunction?" Mohinder asked. Matt suddenly put his hand on Suresh's arm, to stop him from saying anything further.

"There's no need to end your life over that, Dan," he said in his most sympathetic voice.

"W-what?" he asked, eyeing Matt warily.

"This isn't 'I was in the pool!' type of shrinkage, is it?"

"N-no, far from it," Dan replied, still wondering how Matt knew what he was thinking.

"It's okay, we're all friends here," Matt said. "Can you explain what you mean, you shrink?"

"It-it's happened a few times," he stammered. "I don't get out much to begin with, but this?" He threw his hands up in defeat. "I'm surprised I haven't been reported to the cops. I've scared several people when we, uh, you know, got down to business, and--"

"So when you are with your lady friend for the evening and get to the point of--?" Mohinder asked, clinically. Matt kicked his foot.

Peter caught Dan's reaction to 'lady friend'. "When you are with your lover? What happens?" he asked.

Dan rubbed his face, thick mustache and goatee bristling out. "I'm fine until it comes to, uh, arousal. When I get, uh, big...I, um, shrink." He wanted to curl up and disappear from embarrassment.

"I see. How long does this last?" Mohinder asked, still in clinical mode.

"Well, my date usually bolts the second they realize something is wrong, so I, uh, either roll over to sleep or I take matters into my own hands. Shortly after that, I'm back to normal."

"I see, and how big are we talking, here?" Suresh asked, not realizing how his question sounded. Matt did a face palm, Peter gave a slight groan, as Walters' face went slack before becoming angry.

"I'm sorry?" Dan fumed. "Let's just say that everything is proportionate," he said indignantly.

Mohinder continued to make a note as Peter and Matt glanced at their friend and shook their heads. "I see, and when the shrinkage occurs?"

"I dunno, maybe fifteen or sixteen inches? Definitely bigger than a foot."

Mohinder started his note, but then stopped and looked up. Matt and Peter cast curious glances at the man.

"Sixteen inches? My, that is pretty impressive and well above average, even for a man of your height," Mohinder said, still dumbfounded.

Dan Walters fumed at the clueless Indian man.

Matt caught a mental image and leaned toward his friend. "I don't think he's talking about, uh, _length_, Mohinder. Are you, Dan?"

Dan replied sternly but calmly, "Like I said, _I_ shrink."

"I'm sorry, I don't understand?" Mohinder pressed.

"Do I understand you, correctly, Mr. Walters," Peter interjected, "that you _physically_ shrink when aroused? Your _whole body_?"

"_Yes! _That's what I've been trying to tell you!" he exclaimed in relief that someone finally understood. "Just like that movie, 'The Incredible Shrinking Man' from the 60s!"

"And the only way you've found to reverse this is sexual release?" Peter inquired.

"On occasion, other times, I've simply gone to sleep and woken up back to normal, like the other night," he explained.

"So this isn't simply some sort of vivid recurring dream you have?" Mohinder asked.

"I wish, and it would save some people nightmares for the rest of their lives," he said, rubbing his arms, remembering the looks of horror on too many faces. "God, I just want this to stop. Please tell me there's a cure."

The three men looked at each other. Dan noticed their shared expression.

"What? You don't have a cure?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Walters, that's not what we do," Mohinder started.

"So, what? You going to suggest some traveling freak side show carnival for me to join? Maybe invent a new kind of freak porn? What!?" he fumed.

Matt held his hand up. "What Mohinder is trying to say, is that we can try and help you learn to _control_ your ability," he explained. "You said that your lovers have freaked out, run away, as soon as you started changing? Maybe we can help you control it, make it a conscious decision, instead of a, uh," he looked to Mohinder, "a fight or flight reflex."

"A what?"

"Fight or Flight," Peter said. "The adrenaline surge you feel when confronted, is similar to sexual arousal, which you say is apparently triggering your ability, right?"

"I-I guess? I never thought about that," Dan replied, mulling this idea over.

"You don't experience any pain or discomfort?" Mohinder inquired.

"No, not really," he replied. "There's a bit of pressure, like when I was on the plane out here. I kinda panicked, worried what would happen if it happened stuck up in the air like that. Nothing happened, though," he explained. "So you're telling me--?"

"The heart gets excited, the blood starts pumping, and the ability activates without your realizing it, is that right?"

"Y-yeah, I guess," Dan said. "So what you're saying is I can control this?" He finally began to experience a bit of hope.

"There's no harm in trying," Matt said.

"And then what?"

"I'm sorry?"

"What happens then? Do I go back to being a mechanic, living my life like before? Join a circus? Go to Hollywood and star in the remake of that movie?"

"If and when you learn to control your ability, you can do as you like," Mohinder replied.

Matt and Peter shared a look. Dan eyed them again.

"Or," Matt gave a friendly smile, "You can join us here. Help others in your position."

"Y-you three can do stuff, too? Like what?"

"I can copy other abilities," Peter offered.

"That's pretty handy, but reliant on others," Dan noted before turning to the other two.

"I can read minds," Matt offered. _And send thoughts, as well._

"I wondered how you did that earlier," Dan chuckled, motioned to the can of soda, and sent Matt a thought, only to receive a negative one in return and something about a 'coop'? He turned to the other man. "And what about you, doctor?"

"Oh, I don't do anything special," he said.

"Yeah, just super-strength and agility," Peter teased.

"The fact you already picked up on this may make you an ideal candidate for our company," Matt informed him, before adding, "But that's up to you after you learn to control your ability."

"How-How many people can do this?" Dan asked. "_Why_ can we do this?" He caught the quick glance Matt gave Suresh.

"We don't know for the most part," the doctor explained. "Why do genes sometimes skip a generation? A blond, blue-eyed child from two dark featured parents? What causes Albino-ism? Even twins or triplets? It's all a genetic quirk that we've barely scratched the surface of. That's what we're here to study."

"I'm not going to be some lab rat," Dan cautioned.

"Certainly not," Mohinder countered. "After we learn what activates your ability, we can help you control it. After that, the rest is up to you."

"So how many people like us are out there?"

"We don't know," Suresh answered. "Hundreds, maybe thousands across the globe."

"This is _global_?"

"Yes, my father's research turned up abilities both tame and exotic in all corners of the globe," he continued. "It's all quite extraordinary, really."

"And where is he now, your father?"

A somber mood suddenly took the room. "He's gone, I'm afraid. Killed by one of the first people he could prove actually had abilities."

Dan winced. "Oh, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have--"

"No, it's okay. The man responsible is paying for his crimes," he said, glancing to Matt. "Although some of us would disagree with _how_, even if he has offered his forgiveness."

Dan looked between the three men. Matt was blatantly ignoring his friends, Peter looked to the ceiling and mouthed 'don't start'. No one wanted to comment further.

"Well then, that certainly put a damper on things," Mohinder said, changing the subject. "Would you like a tour of our facilities, and set up a schedule of testing, or take a day or two to figure out if you would like to do this or not?"

"Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice," Matt said.

Dan rubbed his hand across his bushy facial hair again as he considered his options. "Where do I sign in?"

The next few weeks were spent testing his reactions to various stimuli, consciously forcing his ability to activate, among other, more mundane tests. One of what he thought was one of the more laughable ones was being shown a slide show of various erotic couplings, in the hopes of getting a reaction, but Dan claimed he was 'too nervous to get in the mood', he joked. Mohinder was annoyed by this lack of reaction, Peter advised him not to worry about it, but made Dan promise to keep track of any instances outside of the facility, just in case. This only made Dan uneasy and unable to concentrate when he was in the mood for some 'private relief'.

He had also called Bob and informed him that he had the run of the shop and to apologize to any regular customers, as he was taking care of an unexpected 'health problem', assuring him it was nothing serious, but just needed some testing and monitoring.

He pulled Matt aside one day when he came by to check on him. "I wanted to talk to you. You said something about joining your company as an agent? What was that about?"

"You picked up on a few things others may not have," Matt replied. "Having been on the Force and worked as a Detective, I know that a detail oriented mind like that is a great asset to have in the field."

"Yeah, well," Dan shrugged the compliment off. "Comes from working on cars, especially when people try to tell you it's making weird noises and you have to figure out what their talking about," he explained.

"I can only imagine," Matt laughed. "I'm pretty useless with anything mechanical, myself."

Dan chuckled at this. "So yeah, what you were saying about joining up? What would that involve?"

"I thought you wanted to get back home to your garage?"

Dan grew quiet. "Yeah, well, there's nothing really waiting for me back there, Matt. What few relationships I had are strained at best."

"Even your sister and her kids?"

"I was adopted," he replied sullenly. "We get along for the most part, and I love her kids to death, but...we're two different people. If we hadn't grown up in the same house, we wouldn't associate. At all."

"Sorry to hear that," Matt said. "I'm an only child myself. Hell, the only kid I thought was mine, uh, it looks like he wasn't," he confided, knowing fully it was a lie to protect his ex-wife and son. "Closest I had to a sibling was my cousin, Seth, and he went missing, lost at sea, piloting a plane full of people a while back."

"Ouch, sorry to hear that, man," Dan replied. "For the kid and the cousin."

Matt shrugged. "Life goes on, you just have to make the best of what you're given."

"So what are you going to give me if I join up?"

"Well, there was no formal training program before," Matt informed him, causing Dan to raise an eye. "Most of the former agents had military or police backgrounds, and so already had training when they were recruited. Setting up our new management, we decided to follow that and any Special agents would have to follow a similar regimen before we let them out in the field. Adapted to their unique talents, of course."

"Dude, I'm 45 years old, I don't think I could pass a basic medical physical at this point, much less army basic again."

"So you've had military experience? We can work with that."

"Matt, that was twenty-five years ago!" he found himself protesting. "What about a-a security or a maintenance position? I fix cars, I'm sure I can fix--"

Matt held up his hand and waved a pair of guys over that had just come out of the gym. "John, Gary, this is Dan," he informed them. "Could you two give him a once over, he was thinking about joining up as an agent."

"I can't right now, Matt," the redhead replied. "I gotta meet the wife."

"Alright Gary, what about you, Coop?"

John Cooper sized up Dan Walters for a second. "Yeah, sure. We might have some sweats that will fit you."

Dan groaned. "What did I talk myself into?"

Matt laughed. "Don't worry, I'm sure John will take it easy on you," he said slapping Dan on the shoulder. "For the first five minutes, at least."

Dan groaned again as John lead him to the locker room. "This way, big guy," he chuckled. "We were just finishing some weights, but I can give a quick cardio if you'd like?"

John went to a supply closet and fumbled through several bins of folded, plain grey sweat suits, glancing back at Dan to see if they would fit his large frame. He tossed them at the mechanic, "Try these on, they should fit. Just throw your street clothes into a locker, it doesn't matter which one."

Dan did as he was told, noticing John kept an eye on him as he was changing. "You do this often?" he asked noncommittally.

"Not really, we're still getting everything set up," John replied. "Matt, Gary, and I used to be on the LAPD together."

"So you've seen him in the locker room, then?" he chuckled.

John raised an eyebrow. "Yeah," he laughed, "I had a ringside seat when he punched out another guy and got suspended over it!"

"Really?" he asked, pulling his shoes back on. "Why'd he do that?"

"Word is, and you didn't hear this from me," he said softly, "Tom was banging Matt's wife!"

"No shit, really?"

John nodded, "So the scuttlebutt says." He motioned Dan to follow him out to the gym floor. It was laid out like any gym. Mats on the wall, a couple ropes hooked to the ceiling, a rack of various balls, and basketball hoops on either end, with the floor marked out. The weight and other exercise equipment was visible in a room next to the locker room.

"He just said something about almost having a kid, was it that guy's?"

"I don't know," John replied. "Let's start with some easy stretches, then sit-ups and maybe a lap or two, okay?"

Dan groaned, but followed John's lead. "So what about you? Wife, kids? Matt and Suresh seemed interested in my family medical history."

"Nah," John replied. "Well, I was married once, but it didn't work out."

"I never was. What happened with you?"

John thought a moment. "Different interests," he said with a wink. "We're still friends, though. She's someone I can unwind with. Now let's do some push-ups."

"I thought you said sit-ups?"

"I changed my mind."

Dan snorted but got down on all fours and assumed the position alongside John. "That's good, though, still being friends, I mean. I really didn't have too many real friends back home. Kinda lost touch after school with everybody getting on with their lives and all."

"You said you fixed cars? That what you do for a living?" John asked between presses. "I'm sure there were a lot of people coming through the shop. You couldn't make friends that way?"

Dan stopped. "Once in a while, but sometimes it's not good to mix business with pleasure, Y'know?"

"Sounds lonely."

"Yeah, it is." He glanced over to John, who was looking at him funny.

"Sit ups or a jog?"

"Maybe a few sit ups?"

John nodded. "I'll hold your feet, just don't kick me across the room, okay?" he laughed.

"Depends on where you keep your hands," Dan winked.

Now it was John's turn to give a curious look as he settled his knees on the large shoes and took a grip on Dan's ankles. "Ready when you are."

Dan began struggling to sit up and touch his elbows to his knees.

"Come on, big guy, you can do it!" John encouraged him.

"Have you seen how big I am?" Dan said without thinking. He glanced up to John, who he caught stealing a quick glance down.

"Use it to your advantage," John said, catching Dan's eye.

Dan fell back, and gave John a curious look, before trying again. He strained to make one sit up, when his efforts bore different fruit. Dan's face went slack from embarrassment.

John's face went from surprise to humor to disgust as the smell hit him. "Dude! What have you been eating?" he laughed, pulling his shirt over his nose as he leaned away.

Dan had flopped back to the floor, eyes closed. "Kill me now." He sensed the overhead lights being blocked and opened his eyes.

John hovered over him. "Can't. Matt would get mad at me."

He pulled away, standing up and offered his hand. "Let's try a jog, instead?"

Dan stood with John's help, still embarrassed. He felt John pull him close for a second before turning and plodding off down the marked track. Dan pushed away some nagging thoughts and followed slowly. John had already made one lap by the time Dan had made it halfway around.

"You doing okay?" the former policeman asked.

"Yeah, I just never jog is all," he huffed. "Or, Y'know, exercise."

"At all?"

Dan glanced to John beside him, smiling. "yeah, that, too."

"Five laps and hit the showers, big guy," John said and pulled ahead as Dan finished his first lap.

"Show off!" Dan yelled after him.

John looked back and waved.

The next time John caught up, Dan asked him, puffing, "You never said," he gasped, "what you do. (Lord, am I out of shape!)"

"I bust the balls of new recruits like you, proby" John remarked as he jogged ahead again.

Dan huffed and pushed forward, wiping the sweat dripping off his brow. "You're gonna give me a heart attack!"

"We've got medical facilities in the building!" John shouted back.

Dan was really forcing himself to finish the fourth lap when John caught up with him again. "Hit the showers," he said as he ran past.

"Thanks," Dan gasped as he turned and headed back to the locker room. He stripped and dropped his sweats into the towel hamper before heading into the showers. He was secretly glad it was stalls and not an open floor as he made his way into one stall and hit the water, letting it pour over him.

He lost track of how long he was in there when he heard John call out to him.

"Dan? Where'd ya go?"

"Over here," he said without opening his eyes. He heard someone enter, plodding along the tile.

"Dan? You in here?"

"Yeah, over here," he replied gruffly.

"What was that squeak?"

Dan's eyes snapped open. He was staring at the bottom of the door. "Oh shit!"

Bare feet stopped outside and he heard a knock. "Dan?" John asked as he pushed it open, nearly hitting Dan in the head.

"Don't look! Don't look!" he cried out.

John's eyes went wide. "What the--? Dan?"

Dan had reflexively thrown his arms over has face, but dropped them and looked up to see John clad in a towel, or rather, up his towel. It suddenly seemed to pull away a fraction.

John's eyes went wider. "Are-Are you okay? What-What happened to you?"

Dan dropped to the shower floor and hung his head between his knees. "I don't know," he squeaked. "I was just standing under the water when--"

He felt the water slacken. He looked up to see John reach over and shut the water off.

"Don't hate me," he pleaded.

John looked down. "What? Hit you?"

"don't hate me," he repeated quietly as John knelt down.

"Dan, this is all new to me, too," he said. "I gave Matt a mental shout like he told me to, but I don't know if he heard me."

Dan gave him a sad look. "I'm sorry."

John strained to hear. "For what?" he whispered, thinking if he could barely hear Dan, his voice must be booming to him at this size.

He hung his head. "I-I was thinking about...you."

"What do you mean?"

Dan looked up at him again. "They didn't tell you?"

John shook his head. "I'll admit I'm kinda freaked out to see you like this, but...I don't know what else to do or say, right now."

"When this happens, usually, it's when I'm--"

"John? Dan?" Matt called out. "You guys still in here?"

"Over here, Matt," John replied.

Matt followed the voice and saw his friend sitting on the shower floor clad in only a (now wet) towel next to what he initially took for a toddler...with a goatee? "What's going--oh. Oh boy." He laid eyes on Dan and made the connection. "You guys want some privacy or--?"

"What?" John replied in confusion.

"No!" Dan yelled in his now squeaky voice. "No, Matt! I-I'll be okay! Just give me a few minutes?"

Matt gave him a curious look, then glanced to John. "You sure?"

Dan waved him off. Matt nodded.

"I'll be right outside if you need me, then," he said nervously. He added to John, _what did you do that for?_

"What are you talking about, Matt?" he called after his friend. Then turned back to the sixteen inch tall Dan. "Why does he think it's my fault?"

Dan thought some nasty words at Matt. "I never said anything!" he called back from the locker room.

"That's what I started to say," Dan answered John. "When this happens, so far, um, it's always been because I'm, uh, excited."

"Excited about what? Starting a new job with us?" John asked, still confused.

"Not that excited," he said, looking John in the eye.

"What are you--? oh. Really?" John asked, now slightly amused that he made the connection.

Dan hung his head in shame. "sorry," he mumbled so even he barely heard it.

"I didn't know you were, too," John told him.

Dan looked up. "Too?"

John smiled. "I told you the wife and I had different interests? Turns out we had a few in common," he winked.

"really?" Dan chuckled.

"Really," John echoed, smiling.

Dan shook his head and laughed. He looked back up to John and noticed he was slightly closer and looked puzzled. Dan looked down as he felt the floor sliding underneath him. He laughed as he rarely got to see himself grow again. He looked at John, who had a smile frozen on his face, but Dan could tell he was amazed at the transformation.

The two men sat there, face to face in a now cramped shower stall, sharing stupid grins.

"So," John finally broke the ice. "Anything else get that big?"

"That's it, I'm outta here!" Matt called out from the locker room.

Both men bust out laughing before falling together in a kiss.

"I think I'm gonna like it out here," Dan said when they finally broke for air.

Tbc______________


	5. Chapter 4: Montreal

**Heroes: Recruitment**

**Assignment: New Jersey; Montreal**

**Characters: Pinehearst gang and a few surprise guest stars.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing in this story except the premise. HEROES characters intellectual property of Tim Kring; **

**-**

**Pinehearst, NJ**

"So the plan is?"

"Simple, Agent Hanson, Go over the old Company files, contact previously known people with abilities and offer them a hand of they need it," Nathan Petrelli explained.

"Yeah, like that's worked before," Audrey scoffed.

"Excuse me?"

"Did Matt ever tell you about Ted Sprague?" she asked. "He was one of your Company's prior, and I quote, 'bag and tag' victims, who was deemed a 'low level' assessment, only to turn 'high level' shortly after, killing his wife with cancer, her doctor in a fit of rage, and eventually--"

"Almost responsible for nearly destroying New York City when Sylar killed him and stole his nuclear power," he finished. "Yes, I've read his file."

"And your plan is to go over all the old files, and ask everyone to come back in for a check-up?" she asked.

"Essentially, yes."

"And if they don't want to come in?"

"We explain the situation to them, ask them nicely one more time, then--"

"Then abduct them and test them again?"

"We're trying to do this above board, Ms. Hanson," the former politician replied. Peter happened to enter his brother's office at that moment. "You and Cpl. Mills are here to make sure of that."

"So you think we're just here to make sure this organization is held accountable?"

"You were there when we discussed this with the President, we're all about accountability, these days," he assured her.

"This coming from a known politician," she pointed out. Peter snorted behind her.

Nathan threw his hands up. "Hey, I am what I am," he said. "I've seen what could happen when power corrupts. You're here to help make sure that doesn't happen again."

"You think so?"

Peter took this moment to finally speak up. "I think what my brother is saying is he doesn't want to fall prey to the, uh, Dark Side, like our father did," he explained.

"So you're Luke Skywalker and I'm, what, Princess Leia?" she asked Nathan. Nathan chuckled.

"Nah, he's more the Han Solo type," Peter replied.

"Uh...huh," Audrey said, mockingly. "So that makes you Luke, huh, Peter?" she teased.

"Are you two done?" Nathan asked, stifling a chuckle.

"Only if you tell us who Chewie is supposed to be," she teased. "Matt? He is kinda Bear-ish." The brothers Petrelli burst into laughter.

-

**Costa Verde, CA**

West Rosen dropped down behind his house as he returned home from school. He rarely checked for anyone who might have seen him, these days. Part of it was he really didn't care, the other part was secretly hoping to be discovered. After everything that had happened with Claire "Butler", he knew there were others like them out there, lots of others. He wanted to meet them, but didn't know how.

It's not like there's a website recruiting people like us, is there? he wondered. Yeah right. Still, it couldn't hurt to check. It might be nice to meet people like me.

Today, unfortunately, he would get his wish. A slight but stern looking man stepped around the corner of his house. "Mr. Rosen?" he asked, spooking the teen. "Could I have a minute of your time?"

"You're trespassing on private property," West accused, his head screaming at him to move, to get away.

"Is that any way to talk to someone who's about to change your life?" he asked.

"Who are you?" West demanded, tensing to run. "Are you another one of Mr. Butler's associates?"

"Mr. 'Butler'?" he asked with condescension. "I'm afraid I don't know anyone by that name, kid."

West barely had time to register the stinging sensation in his back. He was out before he hit the ground. Jakob Pradasa stepped toward his latest prey. _Funny, I could have sworn he was hovering above the ground_, he thought as he motioned to his crew to bag the kid and move out.

At that moment across town, a man in a beaten black duster and snake-skin boots in even worse condition stepped into the small comic shop and looked around. The handful of usual guys glanced up, but didn't pay him much attention. "Mr. Woolsly? Do you mind if I call you Alex?" he asked in a vague accent. Alex noted a hint of Irish lilt in it.

"Who are you," he asked defensively. "How do you know my name?" He sized the man up. Maybe 40 years old, Retro-punk-goth dress, scratched black polish several days old. Alex was reminded of his father's Sex Pistols albums from his youth.

The man looked around, scoffed at the various superhero titles. "Do you think people like that really exist?" he asked.

Alex had the feeling the man already knew his answer.

"Tell me, young Alex, do you ever dream of doing more?"

"I'm sorry sir?"

"Are you going to spend you life here, selling power trip fantasies with little to no moral value they once held?"

"I'm j-just working here while taking some classes at--" he stammered before faltering. He knew the truth, he was stuck in a dead-end job and had a secret he had never told anyone. "You know what I can do, don't you?" he whispered. "Are you one of us, or one of them?"

"Ah," Samuel Sullivan smiled and pointed in his direction. "I think we're going to be great friends, Alex."

-

"So what's in Montreal, Peter?" Audrey asked.

"A warehouse," he replied, deflecting the question.

"And we know about this warehouse, how?"

Peter sighed, realizing she wasn't going to quit until she got the answers she was looking for. He slid off the treadmill, grabbing his water. "Adam Monroe told me."

Audrey stopped running and stepped off her treadmill. "Wait, the immortal guy? The one who you guys claimed nearly unleashed a globally fatal virus?"

Peter took a swig of water and gave a sheepish smile. "Yeah, the same guy."

She stood and looked at him a moment. "And you don't think he might have booby trapped the place?"

Peter swept his hair away and smiled. "You coming or not?"

She crossed her arms. "When do we leave?"

"As soon as you get cleaned up," he replied and vanished in a gust of wind.

"No fair using powers, you cheat!" she hollered after him.

An hour later, they met in Nathan's office. "You be sure and call if you get in any trouble. Okay, Pete?"

"Yeah, Nathan, we'll be fine," he chuckled before turning to Audrey. "You ready?"

"Should we grab a bite first?" she asked nervously. "We don't know how long we'll be there."

"That reminds me," he said, taking her hand. "Matt still owes me a pair of shoes."

"Wait, what?" she managed to ask before she found her world turned inside out for a moment. The next, she found herself in a coughing fit, unable to catch her breath.

Peter patted her on the back. "I forgot to tell you to exhale before we jump. Sorry," he apologized.

She briefly wondered if he had copied Matt's telepathy as she gasped for breath. When he didn't react to her silent (and very rude) opinion of him, she guessed not. Then she noticed Peter had already wandered off. As she finally caught her breath, she looked around at the treasures stacked haphazardly around her. "What is all this?"

"Memories of a lifetime," Peter's voice came from around the corner. "I'd bet this stuff could bring a pretty penny on the antique market, these days."

"And it's all real?" she marveled, following the sound of his voice. "None of this was bought at some cheap reproduction warehouse or Hollywood prop auction?"

"Yep," he answered, pulling out his cell phone and snapped a picture of a red flag emblazoned with a familiar S-shaped kanji.

"Who are you sending that to?" she asked as she watched him fiddle with sending the image in a message.

He looked up to her and gave a crooked smile. "You'll see." He then proceeded to peruse another pile of antiques.

Audrey had barely started scanning the treasures herself when she almost walked into a young Japanese man who she was sure had not been there a moment before.

"Where is Peter Petrelli?" he demanded.

Reflexively, her hand went to her gun, but she found it covered by Peter's hand. "No, it's ok, Audrey," he said. "Hiro Nakamura, meet Audrey Hanson, our FBI liaison. Audrey, this is my friend Hiro."

"Hello, Agent Hanson," he greeted her, giving a slight bow.

"Wait, Nakamura?" she asked. "Our Japanese compatriot?"

"Yes," he said before returning to Peter. "Where is the flag?"

"Over here," he said and lead his friend back to the battlefield standard. "Is this what I think it is?"

Hiro examined the flag for a moment. A smile spread across his face. "Yes, it has only been a short time for me, but this is the banner of Takezo Kensei."

"So it is Adam's then?" Peter asked.

"How can you know for certain?" Audrey inquired.

Hiro and Peter shared a look. "Because **_I_** am the legendary Takezo Kensei!" Hiro exclaimed proudly, lightly thumping his chest.

Audrey suddenly had the feeling this was going to be a very lengthy explanation, and she had neither aspirin nor beer.

-

**Cainan, GA**

"You're sure you want to do this?"

"Yes, dad," Claire exclaimed for what seemed like the fiftieth time today. "With most of the family already involved in the Company, I figured I might as well get my feet wet, now."

"You're still going to college this fall, right?"

"As long as they accept me and Angela's footing the bill, why not?"

"Just making sure," Noah replied as his adopted daughter glared at him from the passenger seat. "You know our quarry?"

"Quarry?" she asked, throwing the word back at him. "He's a healer who's my age, not some psycho pyromaniac like my mother's brother."

"And the last time we dealt with a healer, he was behind the plan to blow up New York City," he informed her.

"What?" she asked incredulously.

"Mr. Linderman, the man who helped your father get elected to Congress," he explained, "was one of the people who helped engineer the events that lead up to the incident at Kirby Plaza."

"'Incident?'" she repeated I disgust. "I thought I lost my real father and uncle that night!"

"But you didn't."

"Not the point!" she exclaimed.

"Are you done?" he asked.

"Are you?" she scowled.

"We're here," he informed her before noticing the yard and most of the shrubbery seemed to be dead. "Remember what I told you, if I say run, run and don't look back. Get to a safe place and call for back-up."

"I know, dad," she said, rolling her eyes, then she noticed the dead bird in the cage on the porch. "You said this guy was a healer, right? Why's everything dead?"

"Just remember what I said and let me do the talking," he told her again as he knocked on the door.

Claire peeked in a window. "Uh-oh, we might have a situation." Noah turned to look at his daughter pressed against the window. "Looks like his parents, and they've been dead a few days."

Noah twisted the doorknob. It turned easily. "Stay here and stay out of sight," he ordered her before proceeding inside. He could smell the stagnant stench of death easily, and tried to cover his mouth with a handkerchief to mask it. "Jeremy?" he called out several times, but no answer came.

He scouted the house, finally finding the teen's bedroom upstairs. It was empty, but luckily, Noah soon found he had kept a paper journal in a cheap school notebook instead of blogging everything online like many of Claire's peers did.

"I'm sorry" was written on a dozen pages, over and over. The last entry before that read, "A strange man came today. He said he understood what I was going thru. He wanted me to join his family. He gave me a compass if I changed my mind." Noah checked the date, it was from two days earlier.

"Damn," he muttered. Who else could be looking for Specials? he wondered as he began looking for clues as to who this mystery compass man was.

"Dad?" Claire called out.

"Up here, Claire," he called back, rifling through the teen's drawers. Not very many clothes had been taken, if any at all.

"There was a cop car, they slowed down to check out our car and left. I think they might be back, soon."

"Okay, honey, I'll be down in a minute," he hollered back. Then he saw it. An older style camping compass. He picked it up, but the pointer lolled lazily, not even pointing North. He examined it a minute and decided to pocket it and the journal, just in case. He continued searching for another minute, but found no other compass or any sign of more camping gear.

Joining his daughter downstairs, he ushered her toward the door. "Come on, we need to get out of here."

"What about those poor people?" she asked, motioning to the bodies of the Greers.

"I'll send a clean-up crew," he told her.

"We need to call the authorities!" she insisted.

"Claire, trust me," he told her. "I've been doing this a long time. If word gets out a Special did this, especially right now, the government will demand people like you be rounded up and locked away, regardless of your abilities."

"But--"

"Claire, I'm sorry, it has to be this way," he told her, pushing her out the door. As soon as he got in the car, he pulled out his phone. "This is Bennet, we need a clean-up on the Jeremy Greer case. Two adults, the parents, dead at least a few days. Yeah, that sounds good, thanks."

"So, what now?" she asked, on the verge of crying.

"We send a clean-up crew with a cover story of fumigating the house," he informed her as he pulled away. "Unfortunately, the fumigators messed up and the house goes up due to a malfunctioning bug bomb, taking Kurt and Shannon Greer with it."

Claire gasped in horror. "Are you serious?"

"We need to recover as much information as we can about this kid," he told her. "His journal says he was approached a few days ago and has since disappeared without a trace. A team will scour the place for clues, hence the fumigation cover. Then, to cover the deaths, we destroy the house with Mr. and Mrs. Greer's bodies still inside."

"Won't they be able to tell the bodies were already dead?" she asked, still shocked.

"Not when they only recover charred remains," he informed her.

She turned away, facing out the window.

"I don't like it either, but sometimes we have to do this, to cover our tracks," he consoled her.

She ignored him, concentrating instead on a goth-punk-cowboy looking man strolling down the street back the way they came. He nodded at her as they passed.

"I think I might have to rethink joining the Company," she said.

"This will all be in my report. The bodies, the missing boy, everything," he told her. "Full disclosure with the government, now."

"So what if he was really kidnapped?" she asked.

"That's what our forensic team will find out."

"Then they blow the house up?"

"Claire, don't start," he warned.

"I don't like it, dad."

He sighed. "Neither do I, honey. Neither do I."

-

Peter, Hiro, and Audrey re-appeared in a New York alley. Peter stepped out to get himself orientated. This wasn't the best part of town. "It should be near here," he said, motioning the others to follow.

"Are you sure this man can help us, Peter?" Audrey asked.

Peter chuckled. "Yeah, it's been a while, but his store should be just--" He stopped in his tracks as he rounded the corner. His eyes fell upon the storefront the remembered from his youth. The windows were boarded and the building scorched. "No," Peter muttered under his breath.

"Something is wrong?" Hiro asked, shifting the banner staff in his arms.

Peter motioned to the husk of the building before them. "This was it, I'm sure of it, but...it's gone." He peered through the dusty, cracked windows. It looked as if it had been closed up without anyone even bothering to attempt a clean-up after the fire.

"Peter?" Audrey asked, grabbing his arm. "Surely there's someone else who can help--"

"No!" he shouted. "This can't--He has to be alive! I know it!"

Audrey was about to say something else, when Hiro stepped up to her. "If Peter Petrelli says this man can help, then we will find him, no matter what it takes!" he declared.

Audrey rolled her eyes and did a quick sweep of the street, looking for someone who might help. She noticed an older lady sitting on a bench across the street, watching the store, watching them. "I'll be right back," she told the men and made her way across to the woman on the bench. "Excuse me? Do you mind if I ask you something?"

The woman slowly looked up at her with sad eyes. "No, not at all, my dear."

Audrey sat next to her. "Do you know anything about the antique shop that used to be in that building?" she asked, pointing back to where she had come from.

The woman sighed. "It used to be such a nice place," she said. "Filled with treasures from all over the world. Most of them were his, you know. He sold what he had found or won in battle."

"You know the man who used to own the place?" Audrey asked her. "Is he still alive? Do you know where we might be able to find him?"

"I knew him better than most, but still hardly knew him at all after so many years," she lamented. "He ran the store as 'Russell Nash', but I don't know where to begin looking for him," she explained. "If I did, I would have joined him long ago."

"When did this happen? The fire that destroyed the store, I mean?"

"Fire? It wasn't a fire that ripped his heart out," she informed the young blonde. "It was a bomb. Set by one of his own kinsman to kill him he told me. Not his cousin Duncan, though, I tell you that for nothing. I know he survived, but what happened after that, well I can't tell you."

"Can't or won't?" Audrey pressed.

The woman regarded her a moment. "It was for my own safety that I didn't know," she finally replied.

"Well, I don't want to take any more of your time, Ma'am," she said, rising. "I think we can start from what you've told me and try to find him from there."

"Good luck, it won't be easy," she chuckled.

"Why is that?"

"If he doesn't want to be found, you'll never find him."

Audrey smiled. "I'm sure I can find him, ma'am, I'm with the FBI."

The old woman smiled back at her. "Then you're going to have to look extra hard, aren't you?" she said with a wink, then looked across to the pair waiting in front of the shop front. "Tell your young friend there that sometimes, Destiny's path is not as simple as the one he believes. You must stop and smell the cherry blossoms once in a while."

Audrey looked at her, perplexed. "I'm sorry?"

"Butterfly wings, my dear. Butterfly wings," she said before standing and starting to shuffle off down the street.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name?" Audrey called after her.

"Rachel," the woman replied, barely pausing. She stopped and took another look at Hiro, gave a slight bow and continued on her way.

Audrey rejoined her friends and told them about her leads. Peter recalled the name as familiar, but still refused to elaborate to her. With no further reason to stay, the trio teleported back to New Jersey.

Rachel watched them disappear, while hiding around the corner. "I guess it is a kind of magic." She smiled.

-

When the Pinehearst forensic-slash-'fumigation' team would arrive at the Greer residence in Georgia several hours later, they would only find a smoking crater at the center of a small emergency rescue operation. No one could explain what happened and it seemed as if the earth had opened up below the house with no warning. It would be two more days before the Greer's bodies would be recovered. Jeremy was presumed to have been crushed beyond recognition and pronounced deceased in absentia.

This incident put Nathan and Noah on high alert as to another group of unknowns recruiting Specials, exacerbated only more by Matt's announcement of a possible Formula-enhanced crime ring taking shape in LA. Suddenly, finding as many of their own became a high priority.

-

Elsewhere, the missing Jeremy Greer woke to find himself on a cot in a spartan and dingy room. He had no memory of leaving home, but he did of what he had done to his parents, even if by accident. He tried the door, but it was locked from the outside. "Hello?" he called out. "Is anyone out there? Please, I didn't mean to do it!" he pleaded.

"Hello?" came a faint reply. He could tell it was a woman, with a Hispanic accent. "Who are you?" she asked.

"M-My name is Jeremy," he answered, unsure if this was a trick or if there was someone else in the same situation. "Why are we here?"

"You can call me Maya," she replied. "I do not know who has taken us, but they should bring us food, soon. Do not worry just yet, Jeremy."

Jeremy crawled back to his cot in defeat and curled up. "I didn't mean to. I'm sorry," he cried. "I'm sorry."

tbc__________

A/N: the parents of Jeremy Greer were never named in the show, so I took the liberty of doing so. Taking into account his name and appearance, three guesses who they are named after.


	6. Chapter 5: Seacouver

Heroes: Recruitment

Assignment: Seacouver

Characters: Hiro, Claire, Matt, Daphne, Peter, Molly, Noah

Disclaimer: I own nothing. HEROES characters intellectual property of Tim Kring; Highlander characters based on concepts created by Gregory Widen.

-

**Pinehearst, New Jersey**

Claire Bennet stared out the window of her father's office. She still couldn't get the idea of having to cover up the fact that a fellow Special had murdered his own parents, even accidentally. Then again, one of the first people like her she met had been Ted Sprague, who she learned had accidentally killed his wife with cancer caused by his nuclear abilities. Both cases were accidental, but the same. Neither wanted it to happen, but it did and now Ted was dead by Sylar's hand and Jeremy Greer was...missing under unknown circumstances.

"Claire?" Nathan asked, shaking her from her reverie. "You okay, honey?"

She turned and forced a smile. "yeah. No. I don't know?"

"Noah told me what happened," he consoled her. "You want to talk about it?"

She dropped down on the couch he had in his office. "It's just, I don't know," she moaned. "What happened in Georgia got me thinking."

"About?"

"Adam Monroe was a Regen like me, right?" Nathan nodded. "He was what, 400 years old? Who knows how long he would have lived if Arthur hadn't taken his ability from him, killing him!" she exclaimed.

"So you're worried--?"

"I'm going to be 400 years old one day and still look like this? I don't know if I can handle it," she confessed.

"I'm sorry, Claire," he consoled her. "You and Adam were the only Regens the Company have on file. I wish there was someone you could talk to that--"

"Sylar," she said suddenly.

"Excuse me?"

"Sylar took my ability!" she told him. "He's like me, too! Granted, he's not the first person who comes to mind when I know I'm going to live forever, but..."

"Sylar is a killer, Gabriel is trying to make up for that part of his life," he corrected her. "But I understand where you're coming from, you want advice on how to survive with the longevity of your ability?"

"Yeah, and without Adam, there's no one I can turn to," she groaned.

"_Flying Man!"_

Nathan and Claire both jumped at Hiro's sudden intrusion and greeting. "Give me a heart attack, why don't you?" he groused.

"Oh, I am sorry, Nattan Petrerri," he replied. "But I have great news for you. Your brother, Peter, and I have found a treasure trove of Adam Monroe's belongings and he wanted me to ask you about the whereabouts of another man who may help us catalog everything."

"Why does Peter think I know who this is, much less where to find him?" he inquired.

"He says you took him there when he was little, that the man knew who you were, but his antique store in New York is closed for many years, it seems," he explained. "Exploded."

Nathan sighed and turned to his computer, pulling up the Company's search engine. "Fine. What was his name?"

"He said it was 'Russell Nash-o'," he said, bobbing his head.

"Nasho?"

"Nash, like the capital city of Country?"

Claire and Nathan exchanged dumbfounded looks.

Hiro realized their confusion and mimicked playing guitar. "Nash, the country music capitol, like Branson?"

"Oh, Nash_ville_," Nathan said and typed what he took as the name into the computer. He waited as a handful of names came up, most being "Russell"s located or bagged in the Nashville area. Nathan rolled his eyes as even Russellville, Arkansas came up in the results.

"Well, either Peter didn't remember the right name, or he's not in the database, Hiro. I'm sorry," he finally said after scrolling through the list.

"But, he must," he insisted.

"How about we use a better search engine?" Claire piped up.

Nathan stared at her a moment before replying, "No."

"C'mon, dad, it can't hurt to ask?" she whined. "Please?"

Hiro looked on puzzled as Nathan replied. "Fine, but you're staying with Hiro until he finds this mystery antique man."

Claire jumped up and hugged her father. "Thank you, daddy!" she squealed before turning to Hiro. "Come on, Hiro! Next stop LA!"

Hiro was puzzled by this a moment, then his face brightened. "LA? Oh, Matt-o Park-man! and _Daphne!_" He then scrunched his face and the pair vanished.

Nathan sighed and reached for the phone. "Yeah, I just want to say, it was _not_ my idea and I had nothing to do with it, buddy."

"What are yo--GEEZ! Give me a heart attack, why don'tcha?" Nathan heard Matt exclaim on the other end before hanging up. Chuckling, he looked up to see Noah Bennet, Claire's other father enter the office.

"Have you seen Claire?"

"That depends," he replied cautiously.

"I was just wanting to see how she's feeling after our trip to Georgia," Noah replied.

"Sorry, you just missed her," Nathan informed him. "She and Hiro just took off to LA to see if they could get some help locating a 'Russell Nash' from--"

"I'm sorry, did you say Russell Nash?" Noah asked, alarmed.

"Yeah, why?" Nathan replied in confusion.

"Where's Peter or Rachel? I've got to stop them!" he said before running out.

"Will someone _please_ tell me what's going on around here?!"

-

**Los Angeles, CA**

"No! No way! Absolutely _not!_" Matt exclaimed.

"But Matt," Claire whined. "It's just one guy we need--"

"It's just 'one guy' today, next week, it's two guys, next month, there's a whole list!" he exclaimed. "She's just a little girl, not a rolodex!"

"Oh, unclench, Matt," Daphne chided him. "It can't hurt asking her to find one name."

"I said _no_, Daphne!"

"Alright, fine," she conceded before turning to Claire and Hiro. "You guys want to go grab some lunch? I'm starving!"

"Daphne," Matt said in a warning tone.

"What? It's just lunch," she replied. "It's not like I'm inviting them to dinner, tonight, then breakfast tomorrow, then before you know it, we're all living together as one big happy family!" she exclaimed, hugging the two laughing visitors.

Matt stood with his arms crossed. "Leave Molly out of it," he warned.

"Right, I'm sure Molly won't mind having lunch with us, either!" she exclaimed, nudging Hiro. He got the hint and blinked the trio out of Matt's office before he could protest.

"Daphne!" Matt yelled after her to no avail. He pulled out his phone to yell at her again, when he was nearly knocked off his feet by a gust of wind.

"Sorry, Matt," Peter said, grabbing his friend's arm before he totally lost balance.

"What do you want, Peter?" Matt snarled as he picked up his phone.

"I take it Claire and Hiro have been here?"

Matt scowled. "Who's this guy they're after? Why is he so important?"

"Russell Nash, an antique dealer from New York, many years ago," Peter explained. "I mentioned him to Hiro at Adam's warehouse and he suddenly became fixated on finding the man, but he may be dead for all I know."

"You know they came here after Molly, right?"

Peter nodded. "Nathan called me, told me to intercept them. Do you know where they went?"

"My place," Matt nodded. "Mohinder's watching her this afternoon and--" Peter reached for Matt's arm. "oh man, I just ate!"

Matt's world turned inside out. As did his stomach, once again.

"You're cleaning that up, Petrelli," Matt coughed as he caught his breath. Then he realized where he was.

Peter chuckled. "Why do you think I aimed for the bathroom? You still owe me a pair of shoes, Matt."

Matt turned and glared at his friend. "A little warning next time?"

Peter smirked and headed out the door. "Molly? Claire? Hiro?" he called out.

Matt took the more direct approach. _"Molly, you're in trouble, girl!" _he thought toward her.

Molly jumped as Daphne opened the door to her bedroom. "I didn't do anything!" she declared.

"What? I didn't even ask you anything yet?"

"Matt just yelled at me," she said, pointing to her head.

"No, you're not in trouble, honey," Daphne consoled her. "At least, not yet, because I didn't get a chance to ask you."

Molly sighed. "You guys ever hear of searching online? I'm going to start charging for my services!"

The two girls stared at each other for a minute, then burst into peals of laughter. Matt walked in a minute later as they were catching their breath. Seeing him only sent them into another paroxysm of giggles.

"If you two are finished, do you want to talk about this as reasonable adults?" he asked, leaning on the doorframe and crossing his arms. More giggles. Matt turned and left for the kitchen where Peter stood over Claire and Hiro, who was looking like a scolded puppy. "Do you have anything to say for yourselves?"

"If we didn't do anything, how can we be in trouble for doing it?" she asked. Hiro nodded in agreement.

"Don't start, Claire," Matt warned her, "I'm not feeling very well." He tossed a dirty look at Peter, who found something interesting to look at on the ceiling.

Daphne and Molly entered the now crowded kitchen, Mohinder in tow. "What's going on? What did I miss?" he asked, annoyed his research had been interrupted. Again.

Matt motioned to the intruding duo. "Spill it, you two."

Claire gulped and said, "We just wanted to ask Molly if she could find this antique dealer Peter told Hiro about, that's all."

Before Matt could say anything, Molly simply said, "Twenty dollars."

Everyone stopped and turned to her.

"What? It's not like you give me an allowance!"

"Molly--" he began before she cut him off again.

"You're right, Matt. Fifty dollars," she corrected herself.

"Molly!" Matt scolded her.

"What? You don't even want them asking for my services, so I figured why not charge for them?" she explained.

Matt was trying to figure out his argument when Mohinder agreed, "She's got a point, Matthew."

"Well, I don't care, Mohinder!" Matt exclaimed. "She's not some machine to give out information, willy nilly!"

Claire turned to Hiro. "He's right. We should have gone to Micah, first. Much more reasonable."

"Freeze!" Matt shouted in his loudest cop voice. Everyone jumped. "No one asks anyone anything! Got it?"

Daphne started to point out he just asked a question, but upon seeing Matt's glare, decided it was best to keep silent.

"I am Molly's legal guardian," he started, to which Mohinder harrumphed, "and I say no one's going to use her like this without my _and_ her consent! Is that understood?"

Everyone slowly nodded.

"Good. Now, if you want to ask her to find someone, A- it better be important. B- you see me and/or Mohinder before you approach her. C- Molly will always have the right of refusal. Same goes for Micah. Is that clear?"

Everyone nodded again.

"Now, who is this you want to find and why is he so important? Why can't you find someone else?"

"I think he may be one of us, Matt," Peter said.

Everyone turned to him. "What?"

"When I was little, Nathan took me to his shop to buy something for mom for her birthday. While we were there, I started to pick up a sword, but he caught me and asked for it back before I could start swinging it," he explained. "When I did, I could swear he cut his hand on the blade, right above the hilt. I watched it heal. He saw my surprise, laughed in a weird accent, and told me, uh, how did he put it? 'It's a kind of magic.'"

"So you think he might be a Regen, like me?" Claire asked.

Peter shrugged. "It's possible."

"Matt," she pleaded. "Please, I _need_ to talk to this Nash, now." Her eyes teared up.

Matt wasn't sure if she was being honest or just dramatic, when he suddenly found himself hearing a conversation between Claire and her father from earlier she was sending him.

"It's that important to you?" he asked. She nodded. "Molly, what do you say?"

"I told you, fifty dollars."

"Fifty? You said twenty!" Claire argued.

"You snooze, you lose, blondie," Molly retorted.

"Molly!" came a chorus of several voices.

"Okay, okay, twenty! Sheesh!" She left the table to get her atlas book. "Be right back."

"Doesn't she need a picture of the person in question?" Mohinder asked.

"Uh, duh!" Molly said as she returned.

"Molly!" Matt scolded and turned to Peter. "Do you remember what this guy looked like?"

"Yeah, do you want to--?" he waved his finger between their heads. Matt nodded. "One Russell Nash, coming up," he said as the two men locked their minds, Matt sending the mental image to his foster daughter. In turn, she began flipping the pages of her book, tracing a mystery route to an unknown destination.

"Wow. He really gets around," she mumbled, unable to get a precise lock on his whereabouts. After a few minutes, she finally rested her pushpin on the Washington-Canadian border city of Seacouver. "That's the closest I can get, sorry," she said. "It's almost like his face didn't really go with that name?"

"Is that how your ability works, Molly?" Mohinder inquired. "A face tied to a specific name?"

"Ask me later, I need a nap, now," she mumbled, rubbing her head. Mohinder lead her back to her room as the others discussed their next step.

"Who's going to Seacouver, then?" Matt asked the group.

"Hiro and I, definitely," Claire said. Hiro nodded his assent.

"Well, if we have to search the whole city, you're going to need someone who's fast," Daphne suggested. "Peter, you're the one who actually knows what he looks like."

"Well, if we're going to split up and search, I know what he looks like now, too," Matt said. "Mohinder's got to stay with Molly, so it's just the five of us, then?"

Peter grabbed Matt's shoulder. "Shall we?"

"Hands off, Petrelli," Matt warned. "Hiro's power doesn't turn my gut like yours, and neither does Daphne's."

Peter smirked and shrugged. "Suit yourself. Claire?"

She rose and took her uncle's hand. "Don't mind if I do." With that, they disappeared in a gust of wind, knocking over several of Mohinder's files on the counter. The remaining three looked down in horror and Hiro quickly grabbed the other two before vanishing as well.

Mohinder returned a moment later and saw the scattered mess. "No powers in the house!" he shouted to no one in particular.

Once in Seacouver, the quintet met up at a diner to organize, where Matt insisted Peter pay the meal. "Now, if some people hadn't been so quick to jump the gun," Matt noted, "we could have done a little internet research to see where the local antique stores are, if he's even running such a store and hasn't retired by now."

"Where are we going to get that kind of info?" Claire asked.

"Ah, I know!" Hiro exclaimed and promptly vanished. The others looked around nervously, hoping no one saw. They needn't have worried, as Hiro popped right back, holding a laptop. "I hope they have wi-fi connection, here."

He ran two quick searches, local residents named "Russell Nash", and another for antique stores, while the girls teased him he should have just used a cell phone app.

"And if he's here, but not listed?" Matt pointed out.

"Why wouldn't he be listed?" Daphne asked.

Matt held up his cell phone. "Lots of people are going unlisted these days, dropping their landline for a mobile one. Therefore, no listing in the local directory."

"So why don't we just ask someone?" she replied.

"Good idea," Matt said, rose, and went to talk to the proprietor behind the bar. "Excuse me, my friends and I were passing through and were hoping you could help us find a local business?"

"What can I do for ya?" he grizzled man behind the counter replied.

"We're looking for an antique store recommended by a friend. It may be run by a man by the name of Russell Nash?" he explained.

The elder, bearded man eyed Matt a moment, then looked back to his friends. "Sorry, I don't know the guy."

"Well, thanks anyway," Matt said and returned to the table.

"Well?" Daphne asked.

Matt looked at her and smiled. "It's a fake name and this guy knows exactly where Mr. 'Nash' is staying."

"You sly dog!" she said and kissed him. Matt insisted they stay and finish their meal before heading over, mostly so as not to tip off the proprietor, who had stepped back to his office. As soon as they were done, they snuck off to the side of the building out of sight and let the teleporters do their thing using Matt's directions.

They reappeared a few blocks away, no one having bothered to check the map on Hiro's computer again. "Well, that saved us all of two minutes," Peter joked as they entered the unassuming shop, unsure of what they might find.

As they spread out amongst the gallery, a thirty-ish looking man seemed to come out of nowhere. "Can I help you find something?"

Matt and Peter shared a look and shook their heads. It wasn't Nash. "Yeah," Peter replied. "We were actually looking for a man who sold me something about twenty years ago in New York."

"Well then, it seems you're a bit lost then," he chuckled. "Seacouver's on the opposite side of the country from New York."

"Yeah, I was just there," Peter replied. "I'm looking for a man named Russell Nash. I was wondering if--"

"So you're the people looking for Mr. Nash?" he asked.

"And you are?" Matt asked.

"Duncan MacLeod," he replied. "I'm sorry, I don't know this Nash, but if you're looking for something to buy, or have something to sell you think I might be interested in buying?"

Hiro stepped up. "What do you know of Takezo Kensei?"

Duncan was taken aback for a moment. "Takezo Kensei was a legendary Samurai in the 17th Century, who defended the village of Otsu from the villainous Whitebeard, fought The 90 Angry Ronin, among other alleged feats."

"Alleged?" Hiro repeated, unsure if he had just been insulted or not.

"Easy, Hiro," Matt said, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "What my friends are trying to say is we have found a number of personal possessions belonging to Taco Kenny and--"

"Takezo Kensei!" Hiro shouted, correcting the burly man.

"--and we were wondering if you'd be interested in taking a look at them?" he finished.

Duncan regarded them a moment, especially Hiro. "First off, how do you know they are genuine? Secondly, why not contact a dealer in Montreal or New York where you have these items. Thirdly--"

"That's enough, Duncan," came a tired voice descending the staircase.

"Who said anything about Montreal?" Matt asked Duncan as he watched this newcomer join them.

"My cousin can be an idiot, sometimes," he chuckled. Duncan then realized where he slipped up and mumbled, 'sorry.'

"Russell Nash, I presume?" Matt asked. Peter scrutinized his face as Hiro waited expectantly for his answer.

"I'm sorry, you must have mistaken me for someone else," he answered. "My name is Connor MacLeod." He held his hand out for one of the three men to shake. Matt finally did so reluctantly, as did Peter.

When it came to Hiro, he held it a moment. "I'm sorry, have we met before?"

Hiro shook his head. "No?"

"Hiro, right? Hiro Nakamura?" he asked.

"Yes, but I don't know you?" Hiro said again.

"Heheh, I'm sorry. Maybe it was someone else who just happened to have the same name?" Connor said.

"Yeah, I'm sure it happens all the time, Mr. Nash," Matt said. He threw a glance to Peter, who nodded.

"I'm sorry?" he asked, the humor dropping from his voice.

"Connor, don't," Duncan said in a warning tone.

Connor held his hand up to his kinsman. "Why do you keep insisting I'm this Russell Nash person, Officer...?"

"Detective," Matt corrected, taking note he had been outed as well. "Detective Matt Parkman, formerly of the NYPD."

"Formerly?"

"I've just relocated back to Los Angeles."

"Ah," Connor replied. "Lovely cities, both of them, but that doesn't answer my question. Detective."

"Matt! You've got to see all this neat stuff they have!" Daphne exclaimed as she and Claire came running up, arms laden with old and (very) expensive items.

"Do you ladies need a hand with that?" Duncan asked, stepping around to assist the pair as Matt and Connor engaged in a staring contest.

"Tell me, Mr. MacLeod, how does one fend off the loneliness of centuries?" Matt asked.

"what?" Claire yelped from behind him. Duncan echoed this sentiment as his whipped his head around, eyes wide.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what you're talking about, Detective Parkman."

"Where you from, Nash? You talk funny."

Connor smiled. "Heh. Lots of different places."

"Are you guys done?" Daphne interjected, barging past them towards the register at the counter.

"Nice girl," Connor noted.

"You couldn't keep up with her," Matt snarled.

"I don't know, I'm pretty fast, myself."

"Faster than a stag on the beach with the Spanish guy from Egypt?" Matt asked, slightly confused about the memory he pulled from the man. He barely heard the scrape of metal as he suddenly felt a cold blade on his throat, Nash holding the other end from his shoulder, staring down the edge.

"I am Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod, who are you?"

"The guy who's only making you think you have a sword at my throat, when it's my friend who really has the sword," Matt informed him.

Connor shook his head slightly in disbelief, then realized he wasn't holding his katana anymore, but it was held by Hiro and pointed at his own throat.

"\_Don't you hurt him! He is my friend!_\" Hiro shouted in Japanese.

Connor looked to his cousin, who only stood back and crossed his arms. "\_I wasn't going to hurt him,_\" Connor replied in flawless Japanese. "\_Please, let's all sit down and talk like civilized people. Tea?_\"

Hiro was as amazed as the others. "You speak Japanese?"

"\_I spent many years in your native land, Nakamura Hiro,_\" Connor replied. "\_Look at my katana as proof._\"

"Um, what are you guys talking about?" Claire asked.

"Connor's inviting us to tea, isn't that right, Connor?" Duncan replied smugly. "Also, you go that katana from Ramirez in Scotland, long before you set foot in Japan."

"\_Who asked you?_\" Connor shot back as Duncan smugly lead the rest upstairs.

When they arrived in the living quarters, Duncan lead them to the kitchen, calling out, "Amanda, we have company!"

A spritely bleach blonde popped her head out from a back room to see the group. "Wow, what's the occa--_Daphne?!_"

Daphne was stunned for a second, then Matt felt his arm nearly torn off as she crossed the distance to the other girl in a blink, squealing. "Amanda? I can't believe you're here! Wait, why are you here?"

"Oh, well, Duncan and I have known each other for years," she explained. "We hang out here and Paris and--"

Duncan interrupted her. "Wait, this is Daphne? _The_ Daphne?"

Amanda gave Duncan an innocent look. "Yeah, why?"

Duncan held out his hand. "Give it back."

"Excuse me? Matt, defend your lady's honor!" she protested.

Matt and Hiro shared a look, then turned back to Connor.

"_MATT!" _she yelled. "Tell them I didn't take anything!"

Matt glanced to Claire. "Did you see her take anything?"

"Nope," she replied. "Of course, I was too busy looking at all the pretty stuff to pay attention to what she was doing."

"Yeah, thanks you two!" Daphne argued. "Just wait until we get home, big man!"

Matt finally relented. "She didn't take anything, Duncan. She's changing her ways, now."

"Sorry, Daph," Amanda said, giving Duncan a rueful look. "I just happened to mention how well I trained you in passing. I didn't realize he would remember, as old as he is."

"It was just last month, Amanda," he teased her, kissing her cheek in passing. "Besides, your older than I am."

"Just for that, you better sleep with one eye open, MacLeod. Both of you!" she shot back.

"What? I didn't say you were older than all of us together, did I?"

Matt had a second's warning to duck the coffee mug that came flying at Duncan's head, shattering on impact.

"Children!" Connor scolded them before returning to his conversation with Matt, Peter, and Hiro. "Now, as I was saying, Hiro. I actually knew your parents, Kaito and Ishi."

"You did?"

"Yes. Your father was a very honorable man, your mother a beautiful bride."

"Bride? When did you know my parents?"

"When he was younger than you are, now. I was briefly his sensei when he was learning his swordsmanship."

"No, they would not have allowed a _gaijin_ as sensei," Hiro protested. "uh, no offense."

Connor waved it off. "I was never an official sensei, just visiting an old friend who was and gave some lessons to a few select pupils, including your father. He was quite the adept, almost as if he were reading my mind." He glanced at Matt.

"Actually, no, he was not a mind reader," Hiro explained. "He confided in my friend Ando while I was, um, away, that he could predict variables with the most likely outcome better and faster than a computer."

"Ah, that makes sense," Connor chuckled. "He was a good man, your father. He would be proud to see how you have turned out."

"You said earlier you recognized Hiro?" Matt asked.

Connor looked between the two men. "Heh. Time travel is always a sticky thicket," he replied. "I can say no more at this time."

"So is this a big coincidence, Amanda and Daphne knowing each other, you and Hiro's family crossing paths, not to mention my encountering you as a boy?" Peter asked.

"O what a tangled web we weave of Fate," Connor replied. "If you live long enough, you meet all sorts of interesting people, Mr. Petrelli."

"I didn't tell you my last name," Peter countered.

"No, but when you appear on national television standing next to your brother as he gets shot, it does tend to be newsworthy," he explained. "Same goes for you, Detective Parkman," he chuckled. Matt gave him a curious look, as if he were implying something else. He looked around. "I would say the same for your niece, but it appears the girls have disappeared?"

"They decided on some girl talk," Duncan replied. "And shopping."

"When did they leave?" Connor asked his cousin.

"About three seconds after she threw the mug," Matt replied nonchalantly, taking another sip of tea.

"Well, there went half the reason we tracked you down, then," Peter groused.

The MacLeod's shared a confused look. "Why's that?" Duncan asked.

"Claire's a Regen, and basically immortal, like you guys," Matt replied.

"Who said we were immortal?" Connor asked.

"I've already seen the truth in your head, Nash," Matt explained before catching his slip. "Sorry, Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod, born in 1518 in the village of Glenfinnan on the shores of Loch Shiel."

The Scotsmen started to react, but they were interrupted by Hiro. "Glenfinnan? You went to Hogwarts?"

Everybody stared at him.

"Harry Potter?" he asked. "His school, Hogwarts, is located in Glenfinnan on Loch Shiel," he explained. Looking at the blank faces surrounding him, he groused, "Does nobody read, anymore?"

Matt looked away, sheepishly. Peter shrugged, having been too busy the last few years with school and all but missed out on Rowling's epic and fandom. The MacLeod's finally erupted in laughter.

"Is that really where she set it?" Duncan asked. "I've read the whole series, but I don't recall ever hearing the school's actual location."

"Maybe we should get jobs as tour guides for all the fans?" Connor joked. Hiro grumbled.

Catching his breath, Connor finally brought the subject of their immortality back to the fore. "So, you think your niece, Claire, is an immortal like us?" Peter nodded. The MacLeod's shared a look. "Whatever she is, she's not one of us."

"How do you know?" Peter asked.

"Because they know their own kind," came the voice of the diner proprietor from earlier.

Matt spun around to see the older man limp into the room with a cane. He was more amazed to see the man with him. "Bennet? What's going on?"

"I came to stop you guys from making a mistake," he replied. "I see I'm too late. Where's my daughter, MacLeod?"

Matt replied, "She's out with Daphne and...?"

"Amanda," Duncan finished. "Noah? Joe? What's going on?"

"Bennet, here, tipped me off to watch out for you idiots, trying to keep his daughter from thinking she's one of ours, when she clearly isn't," he explained.

"What are you saying?" Peter asked.

"Connor?" Joe prodded.

"As I was saying, before these two interrupted, was we have the ability to know when another immortal is near, like an early warning sign. It's part of the Quickening, so no immortal can sneak up on another," he explained.

"Quickening?" Hiro asked.

"It's hard to explain, Hiro," Duncan replied. "It's part of us, who we are, what makes us unique. When another immortal approaches, we feel their presence."

"Like a tingling," Connor explained.

"Like Spider-sense?" Hiro asked to more blank stares. "Spider-Man?" he sighed, mimicking crawling up a wall. The others chuckled.

"Usually, for some it can feel different, like a sneeze," Duncan added.

"A sneeze, really? Who is that?" Connor inquired.

"I'll tell you later," he said before turning back to the others. "We didn't feel that with Claire. She's not one of our kind."

"You just said it could be different?" Peter noted.

"Yes, for some, but to us, it's always the same, and we felt nothing towards her when you came in here," Duncan told him.

"I'm sure there are many similarities between your daughter and my friends," Joe informed them, "but luckily, she'll never have to be a part of The Game. She'll never have to take a part of The Quickening or anything else."

"What about children?" Noah asked.

Joe and the MacLeods exchanged looks. "We can't help you there," Connor answered.

"Not a single Immortal has ever given birth nor sired a child, even before First Death," Joe explained. "That's the other curse of their lives."

"First Death?" Matt asked.

"The first time we die, the age we carry with us in our Immortal lives," Connor explained. "For Duncan and I, and many others, it was on the battlefield, for others, it could have been any age."

"There was an Immortal named Kenny, forever stuck at twelve years old, thanks to some raiders," Duncan told them. "He actually became quite adept at getting others to do the dirty work for him, tricking Immortals, then take the killing stroke of his opponents himself, taking their Quickening."

"So how come we didn't know about you before?" Peter asked.

"The same way you never read about any of your kind in the History books, Petrelli," Joe explained. "Both of your kind have kept their existence hidden for centuries, millennia even. It's only now with all this technology that it's gotten harder to keep both of you under wraps. Stunts like Kirby Plaza and your brother's shooting in Odessa on live TV don't exactly make my job easier, Y'know?"

"And what is your job?" Matt asked.

"I'm a Watcher," he replied. "I record, but never--"

"Ahem!"

"Okay, I'm not supposed to interfere, but I have been known to, on occasion, if the cause is right."

"Oh, just admit it, Joe," Connor teased. "You have a man-crush on Duncan! Heheh." He clapped a hard hand on Duncan's back, who rolled his eyes.

"Bite me, Connor."

"Seriously," Bennet interjected, "The Company thought they had run across other Regens like Adam in the past when, in fact, they stumbled upon Immortals like our friends, here. The Watcher organization contacted us and basically told us to leave them alone. An uneasy truce has existed between us, ever since. We trade information on any people we think the other might be interested in, but it's not like we have a yearly summer barbecue party."

"Maybe it's time to start one?" Matt joked.

"I'd still like to get my hands on Adam Monroe," Connor groused. "Do you know he almost took my head, once?"

"You're too late," Bennet said. "Arthur Petrelli took his ability. It killed him instantly." Peter nodded in agreement.

"Well, that's postage saved for his Christmas card," he laughed.

The men sat around catching up and asking questions ranging from Takezo Kensei to various battles and random history while waiting for the girls to return until midnight. That's when a thought occurred to Matt.

"You guys do realize Daphne could run them anywhere in the world to shop, right?" he pointed out.

At that point, they decided to call it a night, Hiro dropping Matt off at home in LA and Peter returning to New Jersey with Noah. No sooner had they returned than Daphne dropped Claire off.

"You are in big trouble, young lady!" Noah exclaimed.

"Sorry, dad," she said. "We got to talking and, well, Amanda put a lot of stuff in perspective for me," she explained.

That stopped him in his tracks. "and?"

"I think I'm going to be okay with this whole living forever stuff, you know?"

Noah smiled and pulled her into a hug. "I won't be here for you forever, but I'm here as long as you need me, sweetheart."

"So you're not mad?"

"Not really, no."

"Good, so don't say anything when the credit card bill arrives, okay?" She started to skip off to her quarters.

"_CLAIRE!"_

She broke into a run.

tbc____

A/N: Highlander characters based off of Gregory Widen's intellectual property, co-property of Panzer/Davis, I believe? In my mind, HL:EndGame is still in the future, at this point, so we still have Connor and Joe, Amanda, and the gang running around. (Of course, this may open the door for that Connor/Adam flashback story, maybe with Fitz? Hmm….) And just assume Peter and Hiro checked out what was left of Nash Antiques off screen/page between the last chapter and this story.

And yeah, I did write Claire (and Molly) as a bit of a brat. I have a (currently) 17yo niece to base her off of, LOL.


	7. Chapter 6: Reno

HEROES: Recruitment

Assignment: Reno, NV

Disclaimer: I own Nuttink! Heroes characters intellectual property of Tim Kring; Reno 911 characters property of Tom/Ben/etc, Comedy Central/Paramount?

A/N: If you've watched Reno 911, you know what to expect from a couple characters. Yep, this gets pretty slashy.

-

"G'night, Sally, Have a good weekend," Matt said to his new young blonde secretary (with the hyper-processing eidetic memory) as he left his office. He was looking forward to spending the weekend with his girls, Daphne and Molly. He knew Mohinder would probably appreciate the peace and quiet of the apartment if Molly was at his place.

"Hold on, Matt," she replied. Matt froze in his tracks, hoping it wasn't bad news. It was. "Our young 'Rebel' just sent me some reports of unusual activity over in Reno. Seems some of the clubs there are breaking out episodes of hysteria?"

"Hysteria? What kind of hysteria?" he asked as Daphne arrived to take Matt home and joined them.

"A few incidents a night of late, it seems," she replied. "No one can seem to pinpoint the source from either alcohol or any of the usual drugs found on the scene, weed, X, acid, etc."

"What's going on?" Daphne asked, sidling up to Matt.

"Looks like we might have to go to Reno," he told her, kissing her on the lips.

"ooh, fun!" she chirped.

"Business, first, then we'll see about some 'fun', hon," he replied with a smirk, pulling her closer.

"Here's the latest reports," Sally said, handing Matt a sheaf of papers. He gave a slight groan at the sight. "Looks like you might want to contact the Reno Sheriff's Department first for more information?"

Matt sighed, glancing between the papers and Daphne. He turned back to Sally. "Who's on duty for back-up?"

Without missing a beat, she replied, "Cooper and Walters, Smith and Johns, or I can call Odessa for Bennet and Redhouse?"

"Noah? No, I'm sure Sandra has plans for him, this weekend, since he's been working with Nathan in New Jersey so much," he said. "Why don't we call Coop and Dan in on this? We'll meet them at LAX?"

"Will do," she replied and turned to the phone.

"Ma-att," Daphne whined. "Why fly when I can run?"

Sally paused, waiting for his answer.

"All three of us, guys?" he asked. "No, I don't want you to strain yourself. Let's take a nice flight out there, make a weekend of it," he told her. "Go ahead and book us a flight out, Sal, please?" She nodded and started making a call.

"Double date, then?" Daphne inquired as they headed to the elevator.

"I don't know what you're talking about, milady," he replied in an innocent voice. She slugged him in the arm. "ow! What was that for?"

"Oh please, Matt. Everyone knows you set those two up," she told him. "What, do you think we're all stupid or something?"

"Luck of the draw, Daph," he replied. "When Dan asked me about becoming an agent, Gary and Coop were coming out of the gym together (no pun intended), so it could have been either one of them who partnered up, or Smitty or Murph--"

"Matt, you teamed him up with the only other gay guy on staff at the moment. You set them up."

"Not intentionally!" he argued.

This went on the rest of the way to the airport, at which point she only quieted down so as not to embarrass Dan in front of John. The new couple still had to listen to the occasional "Yes, you did!" and "No, I didn't!" verbal sparring on the flight. They decided it was a 'couple thing' and ignored them, not realizing they were the topic of discussion.

Upon reaching Reno, they rented a car and headed straight for the Sheriff's Department. The quartet met a burly, mustached redhead sergeant with "Declan" on his tag and a young Asian (Matt guessed of Viet descent?) nearly busting out of her uniform shirt. Matt didn't catch her nametag.

"Can I help you?" the redhead asked, distracting Matt from the young lady, which Daphne elbowed him for. Coop and Dan were slightly amused, but more focused on the sergeant, much to Matt's chagrin.

"Yes, we would like to speak to the Watch Commander about a possible drug related problem we heard you were having recently?" Matt said presenting his PrimaTech card and ID.

"What are you, some kind of pharmaceutical company or something, Mr. Parkman?"

"Or something," Matt replied with a smirk. "We're not in pharmaceuticals, but if it is the one we think it might be, we might be able to help."

Declan looked at him a moment. "Uh-huh." He turned around and yelled at the door, "Hey, Lou! You busy? Got some people out here want to talk to you!"

"Be out in a minute!" came a voice from the other side of the door.

"Have a seat, guys," Declan told them.

No sooner had they sat down than a pair of black officers came walking down the hall, arguing over some petty thing. Actually, she was going on about something, while he looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "That's what I was saying, girl got to get her some and--" She stopped when she saw the quartet sitting there, then screamed.

Everybody but Matt jumped in shock, finger in their ears. He rose to his feet, smiling. "Rae-Rae?"

"Matt!? Is that you, boo?" she asked, hugging him. "How you been, baby? You know I saw you on the TV when that cracker got shot! Nobody believed me I knew you!" she turned to her two officers. "You see! You see? I told you I knew that boy! Don't nobody believe Miss Raineesha!"

"Yep, that was me!" he replied, blushing. "Nathan's fine buy the way. I'm actually working with him, now."

"As what, a bodyguard?" she teased.

"No, uh, it's more of a family thing our, uh, parents started," he explained. "Actually, that's why I'm here, to talk to your Lou about a possible problem we may be able to help you with."

"Oh, you mean that club thing?" she asked. "Yeah, we ain't got nothing on that. How you been, boy? Still with that wife of yours?"

Matt heard Daphne before he could answer. "Wife?"

"You did it now, Raineesha," the black cop scolded her. She shushed him, putting her hand all up in his face.

Matt turned back to Daphne. "I told you, we divorced before I ever met you, Daph." Daphne crossed her arms and glared at Matt.

"Is this your new lady?" Raineesha interrupted. "Damn girl, you cute! No, I really mean that." Daphne continued to glare at Matt, but allowed a corner of her mouth to smirk slightly. "No, girl, you are damn fine, ain't she boys?"

"Yes, she is, Rae," Matt agreed, giving his girlfriend the puppy dog eyes.

"Sure," Sgt. Declan agreed half-heartedly.

"Not our style, but yeah," Coop said as Dan poked him in the side.

"I'd do ya," Jones said, only to have everyone turn and stare at him. "What? You wanted to make her happy, right?" Now it was Raineesha's turn to glare at her man. "Don't look at me like that, Rae," he warned her.

Before anybody could say anything else, the office door opened and a lean, mustached man in a Sheriff's shirt and shorts opened the door. "What's going on out here?"

Jones spoke up first. "Jim, will you tell her I was not hitting on this white girl?"

Jim scanned the group. "Okay then, I'm going to hide in my office until this blows over and--"

"Hold up, Lou," Declan said. "These guys want to talk to you about that drug thing," he said, pointing to the quartet.

"Which drug thing?" he asked.

Matt spoke up. "You've been having some problems with outbursts at some of your clubs, lately? We were hoping to talk to you about it, see if we could help."

"Drug company?"

"Detective Matt Parkman, formerly of the LAPD and NYPD," Matt introduced himself. "Independent contractor now, you could say, but we might be able to help each other."

"I see," Jim replied, scanning the group, eyebrows twitching. "Well, come in, come in! Have a seat and we'll see if we can help each other out, Detective!" He waved them into the briefing room, eying the other two men as they entered. Coop winked at him, but Jim was too distracted by checking out a suddenly nervous Dan at that moment to notice. "I'm Lt. Jim Dangle, by the way. You can call me Jim."

As soon as everyone had settled, Matt started explaining the situation, offering another PrimaTech card. "In case you haven't heard, the President has acknowledged the existence of certain individuals with, shall we say, unique talents, and is cooperating with our Company, PrimaTech in LA and Pinehearst in New York-New Jersey, in the location and training of said individuals."

"Uh-huh. Can I ask, what kind of unique talents are we talking about here?" he inquired.

Matt smirked. "Well, for starters, Daphne here is a speedster, moreso than you think of yourself as a 'law enforcement cheetah' and you're making one of my other friends here nervous with what's been going through your head since you opened the door," he explained. He leaned closer, over the table. "Personally, I think he wants to see you in less than the shorts," he winked.

Jim smiled and glanced to the other two men, almost salaciously.

"I do not!" Dan protested. John grabbed his beefy arm, keeping him from standing, and motioned for him to settle down. He gave Matt a dirty look and defiantly hung his arm over the back of John's chair.

"I see," Jim replied, eyeing the male couple. Matt snorted at his latest thought. "And you can read minds? You're saying you all claim to have super-powers like in the comic books?"

Matt drew himself up. "For starters, but not quite," he replied. "Most of us are naturally gifted, but some were given their abilities by other means. We recently became aware of a drug that is being manufactured on the black market to activate these abilities in certain individuals and is slowly making it's way across the country. We came here to see if these incidents are a result of someone with abilities, likely mental in nature like myself, or someone selling the drug here in Reno, in which case, we may already be too late," he explained.

"So, you want to do some ride-alongs to the clubs and see if you can find out who or what is causing this?"

"At this point, it's our best option, other than going over incident reports to see if there are any connections your team may have overlooked," Matt replied. "I don't suppose you'd be willing to share those reports? We have someone on our staff in Los Angeles whose ability is perfect for that job."

"I'm sure we can arrange that, Detective," he said, making a note of it, copying information from Matt's card. "Now, how do you want to split up for the ride-alongs?"

Matt turned to Daphne. "Do you want to ride with Rae? She really is just a friend."

"Yeah, Williams is all about the moment, and she'll definitely let you know if she likes you or not," Jim told her. "From what I saw, she likes you because Mr. Parkman here, likes you. She's really a sweet gal." _Usually._

Matt caught this last bit and fought a laugh. "Ride with us, talk to her, we'll all be laughing about this later tonight, you'll see," he pleaded.

Daphne groaned, "Alright, Matt. I'll do it for you." He kissed her on the cheek in appreciation.

"Alright, then!" Jim cheerily exclaimed, then turned to the other couple. "And what about you two? Stay together or split you up in two cars?"

"Oh, we're staying together," Dan said, patting his hand across John's shoulder and getting another poke in the ribs from John.

Jim regarded the other blond man. "You don't say much, do you, Mr.--?"

"Officer John Cooper, also formerly of the LAPD," he replied. "Not too much to say, since we're playing back-up to Detective Parkman while we're here."

"Okay then Officer Cooper, I know just who you guys should ride with," Jim said, getting up and heading to the door. "Hey Jack? We're gonna pair up some ride-alongs for our friends here, scout out the usual clubs these incidents have been happening. Can I get you and Jonesy to take these two guys, while Williams and I ride the other two?"

"Sure Lou, no problem," the sergeant replied.

Introductions went around between the group and a few others, mapping out a plan for the evening. Jim finally asked the newcomers, "Well, we've got a few hours before things usually start hopping around here, want to grab a bite before we hit the streets?" After everybody had agreed, he told them, "Well then, let me make a few calls, see if I can get us an expanded reservation, as Leslie and I kinda had a date tonight," he laughed.

"Sure, we'd love to meet your date," Matt said, tossing Cooper a wink.

Jim caught that, pointing and replying, "Righty-o, one dinner party coming up! Show of hands, everyone who's coming?" he asked, taking a quick count before heading to the phone.

An hour later, the group was headed out to the restaurant where they met Jim's date, Leslie Frost. He was intrigued about the night's assignment, but was no help as to who was behind it, having little time to club of late. Jim then got to introduce a couple of his other deputies to the visitors when Travis Junior showed up with Cindy and Trudi Weigel showed up alone and unannounced. She immediately latched onto John and Dan in an attempt to make Jim jealous. John and Dan tried to brush her off nicely until Dangle flat out told her they weren't interested. Even then he suggested the couple follow his lead when he turned and kissed Leslie at the table, much to Leslie's delight and Trudi's annoyance. She tried to do the same to Dan, but he realized what she was doing and immediately kissed John on the cheek, turning red in embarrassment in doing so as he buried his face in John's neck. Chuckling, John then explained that was a big step for Dan, who was still working his way out of the closet he'd been living in back in Kansas, which caused a round of "Dorothy" jokes and native Kansans Dan and Daphne threatening John with death at that point.

When the meal finished, Jim asked if they brought some more casual clothes to go undercover at the clubs, but no one really had. When Daphne offered to run home and grab some, Leslie said he had some clothing at his store, so that became the next destination. Daphne and John had a laugh at the name, explaining the "Buy Curios" name play to dyslexic Matt and clueless Dan.

Once inside, Daphne and Dan started geeking out over the actual curios for sale, while Leslie showed the other two the limited clothing section. "How big are you boys?" Leslie teasingly asked Matt and Dan, tossing a wink to Jim.

Matt laughed it off with saying he was usually an XXL, getting a round of giggles from the others. Meanwhile Dan mock-griped, "Only XXL? How I long for the days when those fit me!" Leslie and Jim shared a knowing look at that, with John suddenly claiming in jest it was "mine! all mine!"

Unfortunately, XXL was the biggest size Leslie happened to have on hand, and the shirt clung to him closer than a second skin. He wanted to die of embarrassment when he came out of the back room, as Matt and Daphne tried not to laugh while the other three tried not to make too loud a noise wolf-whistling and howling "WOOF!" at the top of their lungs. He claimed he felt like Larry the Cable Guy in the muscle shirt with his gut hanging out a bit below.

When it was his turn to change, Matt soon found out why Dan was initially embarrassed, as the "back room" was also the 'adults only' section of the store and was more stocked than the front. He exited to whistles and "Woof!" from everybody, which he simply laughed off before noticing Daphne had already changed into her third outfit at super-speed, not that any of the other guys would have cared.

When Cooper went in back to change, he simply hollered out, asking if Leslie would be open after the clubbing, as there were several things he wanted to buy. Dan turned red in embarrassment as the others laughed.

With everyone changed, they met the others and split up to cover the clubs, Jim and Leslie pairing with Matt and Daphne while Declan and Jonesy escorted Cooper and Dan to another, with Junior, Cindy, Williams and Weigel staking out a third.

Matt had little trouble keeping from being separated from his hosts, but tried to keep out of their minds as they made out on the dance floor as much as he and Daphne did at the gay clubs they wound up at. He wasn't so fortunate in keeping the partiers thoughts out of his head, even offering to switch off with his back-ups, who would have found it easier in those venues. That was when Dangle informed him most of the incidents had been happening at the handful of gay clubs, and their groups were basically rotating around them, looking for their possible perps.

It was at the second club that they ran into Jonesy by himself at the bar. Matt and Daphne joined him to keep the other men from constantly hitting on him. He informed them he hadn't seen their friends since they walked in the door, and Jack disappeared shortly after. He assumed the couple were in a dark corner, making out and Jack was hiding in the bathroom.

Matt did a quick scan of the crowd and learned Jones was only half right. John and Dan _were_ in a dark corner booth making out, but Jack Declan was at the next table, making out with a drag queen. Jones almost choked on his beer. When Matt pointed them out, the drag queen was barely passable even in the dark corner.

That's when Jonesy recognized the drag queen as Terry, a local malcontent who caused many a headache for the department. "He's also one of Jim's _boys_," he added in slight disgust at the situation. "We gotta get Jack out of here," he informed them.

Matt signaled Jim and Leslie, pointing out the table Jack and Terry were at. Jim doubled over laughing as he approached them ahead of the trio. Leslie had his cell phone out, snapping pictures for later. "What's going on, Jack?" he asked the sergeant.

Declan was caught off guard. "Lou? I-I wasn't doing anything!" he protested, embarrassed at being caught. "Th-th-this is Terri, she came on to me, and --"

"We know who Terry is, Jack," Jim responded, going into 'cop mode' now that Jones, Matt, and Daphne joined them, each trying not to laugh. "How's it going, Terry?"

"Oh gawd, do you have to ruin everything for me?" Terry protested.

"Not ruining anything, Terry," Jim replied. "Just saw you making out with my sergeant and thought I'd swing over and say hi. Hi!" He tossed a limp salute to the pair.

"Well, far be it from me to say who my deputies can or cannot date, but I didn't know you swung this way, Jack?"

"She hit on me, Lou, honest!"

"She? What are you talking about, Jack?" he asked. "This is Terry. We bring him in all the time for tug jobs at Tacos Tacos Tacos Tacos and for selling 'Skittles' and 'oranges' on street corners."

"Yeah, her name is Terri," Jack protested. "She said she wanted to rock my world tonight, and honestly, it's been a long time for me, Lou. Let me have this tonight, _please?_"

"Again, Jack, this is _Terry_. A _man_!" he said, leaning over the table to make sure he was head. "We caught you kissing a _MAN!" _He wasn't sure if he was being understood over the music.

Jack Declan gave his superior officer a confused look.

"Jack? Are you okay?" Matt asked, waving his hand in front of the burly man's face. He barely blinked before leaning forward and kissing Jim.

Leslie gasped in astonishment. "Get off my man! _JIM!" _No sooner had he grabbed his boyfriend than he spun him around and pushed him down onto the table, kissing him again.

Matt stepped back, unsure what had just happened. He turned to look at Daphne, who appeared to be lost in Jonesy's eyes.

"You've got the prettiest eyes," she told him. He reached out to pull her closer, but Matt pulled her away first. Jones stumbled forward and into the booth beside Jack. They took one look at each other then pulled each other into a kiss.

"What the hell?" Matt yelled. Then he realized their perp was in the bar, either spiking the drinks or...spiking their emotions. He looked around and saw nearly everyone near them was making out, some quite indecently. Even Daphne seemed to be in a daze of lust, pawing at him. He dragged her toward the door.

Somehow, he wasn't affected yet, so best to pull out--pull _BACK! _he corrected himself, stepping around several lovers on the dance floor. Best to get outside and get some fresh air if it was a pheromone. Call Noah and Mohinder for advice and/or help.

He ran into the third search party in the parking lot. "Don't go in there!" he warned them. "Something's happening in there, and it's not for the faint of heart!" He didn't get much more out as Daphne pulled him down into a kiss.

"Damn, Matt!" Raineesha scolded him. "At least get into the car to make out!"

Matt pulled Daphne free for a moment. "That's what I'm trying to tell you, whatever's going on, it's happening inside, right now! Everybody in there is making out or worse! And I do mean _everybody!"_

"You know this is a gay club, right, buddy?" Junior said.

"That's why I said 'or worse'," Matt informed him. "Even your friend Declan was making out with this guy, Terry, and then when I pulled Daphne away from Jones, he--"

"Jonesy's in there?!" Raineesha cried out. "That's it, I'm going in!"

"Rae, Don't!" Matt called after her, pulling Daphne free. He quickly pushed her into the backseat of their rental car before chasing after his friend. "Stay out here and keep an eye on Daphne! Don't let anyone else in!" he ordered the other three.

Junior and Weigel exchanged confused looks as they watched Matt chase after their co-worker into the club. Junior was suddenly distracted by Cindy running her fingers over his sensitive areas and giggling. He smiled.

"Well, what am I supposed to do now?" Trudi griped as the couple began making out. She looked at the car and noticed it was vibrating. Looking into the backseat, she saw the young blond girl, legs spread over the front seat, her hand a literal blur between her legs. "Huh," she said, not realizing what was going on, but suddenly feeling the urge to join Junior and Cindy's groping. Junior didn't even find it strange he found her offensive at the moment, but welcomed her intrusion.

Inside the club, Matt had no choice but to direct Raineesha to the corner he left their friends in. Both were shocked to find their respective coupled companions in an orgiastic fervor, Matt surprised that Dan was still his full height as he was (don't look, Matt! Do NOT Look!) with Coop.

In fact, at first glance, only Jack Declan seemed to be missing, but then both noticed that Jones' eyes were glazed and he appeared to be holding something in his lap. It turned out to be Jack's balding head of red hair. Rae screamed, "What the hell?!" and slapped Jones hard. He seemed to be waking up, but still out of it, as if hung-over.

That's when Matt noticed Terry was still at the table, trying to get a kiss into the Jim/Leslie tangle, but kept getting pushed out, so he was calling them "bitches!"

Matt now realized who their perp was. He reached over the lovers and slapped Terry as hard as he could. "OW! Why'd you do that, you big meanie!" he whined. It was like everyone had been splashed with ice water.

Luckily for Jones, Raineesha had succeeded in pushing Jack out of his lap so he was leaning against Terry's leg now. Matt could see that Terry had been playing with himself under the table. As soon as Rae had drug Jonesy away from the table, Matt reached over and hoped he could save Jack from further embarrassment by pulling him up by the collar onto the bench and shoving a (hopefully clean) drink in front of him.

Everyone near them seemed to be coming around at that point. Matt ran to Raineesha, who was zipping up Jonesy. "Sweetie, I hope you can understand and forgive me for this," he said and before she could react, he grabbed her head and made her forget the last few minutes since they ran in the bar. He knew she really liked Jones and he didn't want her to remember seeing him like that. He then went back to Jack and fuzzed the memory of the last few minutes even more. He just wanted to make him forget who he was with, as Matt had already read him as questioning himself for a long while, earlier. Everybody else was on their own, he decided. He knew not even Rene could "Haitian" everyone here into forgetting the evening, even if they wanted to remember or forget.

Heck, even seeing Dan going at it (unfortunately) while at full size (no making jokes, Parkman!) would probably boost his confidence and get him to control his ability better.

Seeing as everyone was coming (d'oh!) to their senses and either dressing in shock or finishing up, he decided he needed to be somewhere else. like outside. with his _girl_friend. He grabbed Rae's arm and led her and Jones out only to find Junior on the hood of his rental car, Cindy's legs around his waist and Trudi's tongue in his throat.

The trio stood there in shock for a moment taking in the scene.

"Junebug, what you think your doing?" Raineesha yelled at him. "Get the hell off him, Trudi," she scolded, slapping the woman away. "Junior, pull up yo damn pants!"

Matt and Jones looked at each other and bust out laughing. That's when Matt noticed the blonde in the backseat. "Daphne! I'm sorry, I forgot about putting you in there, honey!" he apologized, opening the door and letting her out.

"Matt?" she asked groggily. "What's going on, where are we?"

"You don't remember? We're in Reno, investigating a case."

She sleepily ran a hand over her face. "Reno? When did we get to Reno?"

"We flew in this afternoon?"

"Why didn't I run us out here?"

"Because I brought Coop and Dan along as back up, remember?"

She looked at him. "Not really?"

Matt sighed. "What's the last thing you remember clearly?"

She bit her lip. "Breakfast this morning?"

Matt smiled. "You mean what we did before breakfast or...?"

She gave him a blank look. "What are you talking about? We haven't done it in the morning since Saturday."

Matt looked her in the eyes. "Daph, what's today?"

"Thursday?"

"Friday night, close enough," he said. "We'll get you checked out as soon as we can, okay? For now, just sit tight here in the car, alright sweetie?" She shrugged. Matt sighed and went to the others now that Junior had pulled his pants up. "Daphne thinks it's still yesterday, there seems to be some memory loss. How are you guys doing?"

"I feel like I drank a whole bottle of Jack and need to bust a nut, honestly," Travis told him. The others tried to disregard the last half.

"Pretty much the same," Jones concurred. "Feel like I got a bit of a hangover and need to get off. Rae?"

"I don't know," she said. "I remember heading in for Jones, then Matt dragging us out. What happened in there?"

"Your friend Terry happened," Matt informed them, watching as their (slightly disoriented) friends were exiting, Jim and Jack dragging a protesting Terry on skates, the other three behind them. "What's going on, Terry? Got anything you want to share with us?"

"I got nothing to say to you guys," he protested, his wig falling off. "I'm just trying to have some fun in the club. Woot-woot!" He tried to throw his hands in the air, but Jim had cuffed himself and Declan to their 'friend', preventing it. Matt didn't ask where the cuffs had come from.

"What did you take tonight, Terry?" Matt asked.

"I didn't take nothing!"

Jim turned and faced him, almost nose to nose. "Terry, it's me. We know you took something tonight, and several other times, causing people to go a little bit crazy--"

"You're crazy!"

Jim gave him a light slap. "Terry, listen to me. We need to know what you took and who you got it from. Right now. Terry? Terry, talk to me."

"I only took some skittles and--"

"Terry, come on!" Jim yelled. "We know you have drugs that nobody else does! Where'd you get them?"

Terry rolled his eyes. "I don't have anything!"

"Want me to get him to confess, Lou?" Declan asked, clenching a fist.

Jim held up a finger to the sergeant without moving his face away from Terry's. "Not now, Jack. Terry, tell me. Tell me, Terry. Where'd you get the drugs?"

"Knock-knock!"

"Who's there, Terry?"

Matt started. "Wait, what did he say?" He had picked up a fuzzy memory from the man.

"Ice princess," Terry replied to Jim.

"Ice Princess who?"

"Nice Princess who gave me some new medici-i-ine," he whispered, ending in sing-song.

"What was her name, Terry?" Jim whispered back.

"I don't know!" he replied.

"I do," Matt said, staring at Terry.

"No, you don't!" Terry protested as everyone else turned to Matt.

"Black guy and an ice princess, Terry? Is that who sold you the drugs?"

"Nobody sold me anything, they just gave them to me!" he told Matt, still whispering.

"What did they look like, Terry?" Jim asked him.

Terry shrugged, "I don't remem--"

"Son of a--Knox!" Matt shouted. Cooper perked up at the name, as Daphne pressed herself against the window of the car. "It was Knox, wasn't it, Terry? I saw him in your head!"

"I saw him in your head, Mr. Angry Bear Man," Terry retorted. "Mr. Daddy I'd like to F--"

Jim shook him, getting his attention. "Is he right, Terry? Was this guy named Knox?"

"I never asked, he never telled me," he replied in a sing-song voice.

Cooper leaned over to Jones. "Is this guy like this all the time?"

"Pretty much, yeah," Junior replied on the other side of Jones. "Actually, he's being pretty cooperative, tonight."

John and Dan shared a befuddled look. "Glad he's not one of ours," John remarked.

"He is until we figure out a way to clean him out," Matt said. Everyone turned to him again. "Terry Bernadino, as a duly appointed government agent, I'm going to have to take you into custody because of your actions, tonight," he informed them, going into full cop mode.

"Wait, _you're_ going to take him into custody?" Jim asked.

Matt flashed his new badge. "As I explained earlier, we've been given a federal sponsorship. Terry is posing a threat to the peace of this community with his ability, and as such, it's our prerogative to take him into custody for abusing his abilities." He pulled out his cell phone.

"You can't be serious?" Jim protested. "He's one of ours, once this drug wears off, I'm sure we can--"

"That's just it, Lieutenant Dangle, it doesn't necessarily wear off," Matt informed him.

"You can't keep Terry locked up forever!" Jim protested.

"We've got holding facilities to keep him comfortable," Matt told him. "Once we figure out what's going on, and if there's a chance we can neutralize what's happened to him, we can release him back into your care."

"What if you can't?" Raineesha asked. "Matt, don't play us like this."

"I'm sorry, Rae," he told her. "That's my job, now. It's what we came down here for. I'm a cop and I'm doing my job." He punched a number into his phone. "Pete? Yeah, we got a pick up for you. Reno, Nevada. You got it? Thanks, man."

"What, so that's it?" she argued. "You just call up your goon squad and haul off our problem?"

"Peter's not a goon squad, Rae," he told her. "He'll be here in a second and get Terry to some help. Trust me on this."

"You ain't the Matt Parkman I remember," she told him. "The Matt I remember wouldn't betray his friends like this."

"I'm doing my job, Raineesha," Matt protested. "Did you forget how to do your job? I'm sorry if you guys think Terry is your friend, but right now, he's a health hazard to this city, and it's my job to keep situations like this under wraps. Can you understand me?"

"You ain't my friend no more, Parkman," she said and started to walk away.

"Rae--" he started, but Jim grabbed his shoulder.

"Let her go, Matt," he said. "I kinda get what your doing."

"You do?"

"Matt, from what I've been reading -and I was aware of what was going on from certain online forums- people like you are potentially loaded weapons walking around, right?" he asked. Matt nodded. "You have to go out there and keep your asses covered before there's rioting that make's Watts, the Rodney King and OJ riots, even Stonewall, all combined, look like a walk in the park. Am I right?"

"You couldn't be more right, Jim," Matt confided as he watched Peter appear behind the rental car. He waved him over, giving him a quick mental briefing. "Peter, here, will make sure Terry gets taken care of. Won't you Pete?"

"Sure, Matt," he replied. "Don't worry, I'm a trained nurse. Your friend is in good hands."

Jim eyed the young man before turning to Terry once more, who was looking bored since he wasn't the center of attention at the moment. "Terry? You listen to me, okay?" he got the man's attention. "You are going with these men and you will do everything that they ask of you. Is that clear?"

"What-ev-errr," he replied.

"I'm being serious, Terry," Jim warned him. "If I hear you've been misbehaving and sassing these guys, I'm going to let them keep you locked up until you straighten up. Is that understood?"

"Yeah, sure," he said sarcastically.

"Terry?" Jim questioned him, pulling him into an awkward hug with their hands cuffed together. "You better behave for me."

"You're so gay!" he replied, pushing Jim away.

"Come on, Terry. Let's go," Peter said, grabbing his shoulder. "I'll see you in Odessa, Matt?" he asked, getting a nod in return. Peter concentrated a second, then disappeared with Terry in a gust of wind, leaving Jim and Jack with an empty handcuff each.

The deputies startled at this. "Whoa! That was awesome!" Jim exclaimed.

"You gonna be okay, Jim?" Matt asked.

"Is Terry going to be okay?"

"I told you, we're going to take good care of him," Matt consoled him. "We'll even let you visit if he behaves."

"It's for the best, right?" he asked, tearing up. Leslie approached and gave his friend a hug.

Matt put his hand on the man's shoulder. "Hey, at least it'll be quiet around her for a while, right?"

"You wouldn't believe the kind of action that goes on around here, man."

Matt laughed. "From what I saw tonight, I hope I never see any action like that again. Ever." He clapped Jim's shoulder. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go check on Rae and Daphne."

Jim and Leslie thanked him for the fun and bade him goodnight as Matt made his way across the parking lot to his old friend.

"Rae? You gonna stay mad at me?"

"Damn straight, white boy!" she replied. "Why you gotta get all up in our faces like that? Huh?"

"It's my job, Rae," he replied. "You know what it's like on the beat? Now expand that on a global scale and you've gotta stop random craziness before it starts. That's what I've gotta deal with, now," he explained. "You guys got lucky, he had what looks like a low level ability. There are some abilities out there that are far more dangerous and deadly. To the user and to the people around them. Trust me, I've barely survived a couple of them."

"Like what?"

"How about a walking nuclear disaster, ready to happen?" he replied. "On top of that, there's a guy who liked to slice people's skulls open and take their abilities. He's a walking arsenal."

Raineesha regarded him a moment, then pulled him in for a hug. "I'm sorry, Matt. I just didn't expect something like that to happen to Terry, y'know?"

"That's okay, Rae, it's all part of the job," he replied, hugging her back.

"What about your girl? She gonna be okay?"

"Peter's coming back in a few to pick her up and get her checked out," he confided. "I'll let you know how she's doing."

"Y'all gonna get married to her?"

Matt smiled. "You never know, stranger things have happened."

"Hey Matt, you ready?" Peter asked, tapping him on the shoulder.

"Yeah Pete," he replied. "Let me introduce you. Peter, this is an old friend, Raineesha Williams. Rae, this is Peter Petrelli, a newer friend and--"

"I know you!" she exclaimed to a suddenly befuddled Peter. "I seen you on TV, too! When that guy got shot next to Matt!"

Peter smirked. "Yeah, that was my brother Nathan," he confessed.

"Damn, you fine, too! I could put a hurt on both y'all!" she teased.

"Ahem!" Jones spoke up, standing next to her.

"Shut up, fool, or you ain't getting none," she warned him.

"Listen, we gotta get Daphne checked out, but I'll be sure to let you know what's what as soon as I can, okay Rae?" She nodded and Matt motioned to Cooper and Dan. "You guys coming back with us, too?"

"Someone's gotta take the car back to the airport and check out of our rooms, Matt," John explained.

"Okay then, see you boys Monday morning?" he asked, handing over the car and hotel keys.

"Will do, Matt," he replied.

"Hey, try not to tear up those two too much, will ya?" Matt chided, jerking a thumb at Jim and Leslie, bumping shoulders with John.

Dan went red. John laughed. Peter tried to ignore them as he grabbed Daphne from the car and teleported the couple away back to the LA office to check her out.

Jim and Leslie approached the remaining couple. "What was he saying?" Leslie asked.

"We've got the whole weekend to blow, guys," John answered with a smile.

"Really?" Jim and Leslie asked, smiling at the word play.

John looked at Leslie. "Now about those toys I was looking at earlier?"

"Can we please just get out of here and back to the hotel?" Dan pleaded.

John smiled. "Meet me in the car, then," he said and turned back to Leslie, giving him Matt's hotel key. "Meet ya in an hour?"

"What about those toys you wanted?" Leslie asked.

John winked. "Surprise us."

Tbc__________

A/N: yeah, I made Terry the fall guy, here. Almost made it Jim, but decided just to leave it at the 'cheetah' quip. This one took me twice as long as 'Seacouver' to write. I just couldn't find the hook, then the gay jokes just started taking over. I tried to keep it from getting too slashy, tho. Sigh….

Bonus points on how Matt knew Rae and even Terry. ;)


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